In Heat
by Edhunne
Summary: On the day that girl meets girl that should be boy, girl makes some wrong conclusions with dire consequences. Will be R/A, not so sure about humour, any and all humour will be unintentional, but I'm told I still manage to sneak in some.
1. Chapter 1: Engagement

Judging from the reaction on one of my lemon-stories (my first and only one up till now) I realised people like what I'm doing with that. So, I decided to move my activities to Ranma 1/2, something I had wanted to do for quite some time. I decided to write this and not some other ideas wandering through my mind, like Ranma ending up with Nabiki after the chapter where Akane gives Ranma to Nabiki in the manga, Nabiki conscripted to get Ranma and Akane together, a daunting task indeed :-) and more such ideas. I would also like to provide our dear lost boy Ryoga a very painful death but have not yet found a believable way to do so. But I digress.  
  
I got this idea from a lemon fanfiction (which I didn't read entirely. Lemons bore me) by lord fanfiction (I think) if I have the wrong name, please notify me. Anyway, the basics of this idea are not mine (Akane considering all of the first day a dream) but the expansion upon the idea IS (Among which are: Ranma's reaction to Akane, the description, Akane's feelings, yadda yadda, you get the idea).  
  
**********  
  
  
  
What a terrible day. First, there was that Panda, that very odd freaky Panda which seemed to be more intelligent than her father on good days. Then there was the girl. The freaky, redhaired girl. The freaky redhaired girl who was supposed to be a boy and had beaten her. Then the engagement with a boy that really was that girl.  
  
Akane sighed deeply as she ignored the 'occupied' sign and moved into the bathchamber. She noticed the girls clothes and stared at them for a little while. It was like a bad dream happening. Everything weas so freaky and generally twisted, it seemed like a very bad dream. So freaky even that...  
  
'Wait a minute, that's IT! This is a dream! I've had a few dreams where I'm aware of my state of mind, so why not?'  
  
Satisfied with this new insight and knowing she would wake up in the morning with most of the 'day' swiftly slipping into oblivion as dreams tend to do, she undressed quickly and picked up her favourite pink fluffy towel. She opened the door which seperated the Furo from the rest of the room. Akane flung away one last article of clothing before putting one foot inside the inner bathchamber, only to freeze up completely by the sight before her.  
  
In front of her was a young boy. A young, very hot boy dripping wet looking surprised.  
  
'Yep, definitely a dream. And not such a bad dream after all.'  
  
Akane made no move but looked at the boy with a thoughtful stare. It quite quickly turned to ogling as she tried to make sense of the situation. She had been having more dreams like this as of late, but Kasumi had explained it was pubity to blame here. The odd thing was that they had never been about dr. Tofu, but always someone like the bishounen standing before her now, always ending in...  
  
Akane smiled seductively and decided to play along. It was only a dream after all.  
  
She now focussed her attention back on the boy's face who seemed to be struggling to say something but was too baffled to do anything. He opened his mouth but managed to do nothing more than stutter. He started quivering a little bit as Akane put her other foot into the room.  
  
"U-um- I-I am re-rea-really s-s-sorry about this, I di-didn't---" Akane dopped her towel and gave the boy a full frontal, making his brain melt down completely. Akane tried to hide a snicker. The effect she had was quite amusing. Time to continue the show. She made slow, seductive steps sensually swaying her soft hips [1], covering her breasts and pubic area with both hands, feigning purity. The boy's mind seemed to have been somewhere halfway across the world at this point, as she could nearly imagine his brains seeping out of his ears any minute now. He trembled ever more vehemently, but managed to control his body enough to step back a little. He was too far gone to notice he still hadn't made an attempt to cover his own nudity, pleasing Akane all the more. He looked so innocent and cute, she could just gobble him up. She mentally snickered.  
  
'And that's exactly what I'm going to do'  
  
She put one foot in the furo and grabbed one of the boy's trembling hands which seemed fixed just above the furo water. She held it with the hand she had removed from her breast and gave the boy a good close up of aforementioned fleshy orbs, making the boy's eyes bulge and a little trickle of blood flowing down his nostril. With an immense effort, so Akane could see, the boy tried to pull his hand back as Akane moved to where her left breast was and softly put it there. She could feel the boy's trembling reverberate in her chest. Akane had to admit she was liking this dream.  
  
"Do you like what you see?" she asked, putting up the cutest smile she could muster. The boy snapped his attention from her breasts to her face. She noticed the deer caught in the headlights look he was giving her and was loving every minute of it. As she moved her other foot into the furo she bumped, quite deliberately, into the boys front, grinding herself slowly against him. She noticed she was not the only one aroused as she felt something hard and warm press against her abdominal area.  
  
"I-I-I-uh-I-we-oh MAN" the boy tried to speak and managed to utter an intelligible word formation as Akane stroked his inner thigh. She decided she should be even more bold and covered his open, trembling mouth with her own. The boy stopped trembling entirely now and seemed to relax into a gelatine-like state. She noticed he was snaking his arms around her back, pressing her closer against him as he started to kiss back. She could feel herself melting into the kiss, admitting to herself that this felt good. Really good.  
  
No, not such a bad dream at all  
  
***  
  
As his mouth and tongue were working on the girl he had met only today but had noticed he had been fiercely attracted to, his mind snapped back to attention.  
  
'Oh my god, what am I doing? I'm not a pervert!.. But it feels so nice and she's so... NO! Control Ranma, CONTROL!'  
  
Ranma managed to draw his aroused body away from the girl who pouted at him. God, she was cute enough to... NO! NO and NO!  
  
"We-we really can't do this." He managed to utter in a semi-harsh tone. The girl... Akane, a divine name for a divine creature with divine... ARGH! Control, Saotome Ranma, the FIRST lesson in Martial Arts!  
  
"Why can't we?" she said in a such a cute voice he felt nearly obliged to grant her request.  
  
"Because... umm... we only just met!" he tried frantically.  
  
Her pout increased and she hugged him tighter, pulling her aroused form closer to him. Ranma was hanging on for what his life was worth not to lose control.  
  
"Does that mean you don't wanna have some fun?" the hug was now becoming crushing to the bones and... other parts of the male anatomy.  
  
"NO! I mean... OF COURSE NOT! I mean, YES!" she giggled. Ranma could feel his brain flying ever farther away. Only one option left. It was a longshot, since he had shown enough bodily interest in her, but she just might be gullible and badtempered enough.  
  
"Who would want to have fun with an uncute, totally unsexy tomboy like you?"  
  
Akane jumped away from him, her left eye twitching violently, a small aura flaring around her. Ranma felt really sorry for hurting her but he knew this was the only possible course of action... for his own honour but especially for hers. The girl had now fully made the change from angelic to demonic as she opened her mouth to speak, nay, scream.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"  
  
"I said that I could never enjoy myself with someone as fat like you. But don't take it too hard. If you didn't have the figure of a walrus I'm sure things could've worked out perfectly. In fact, if you weren't built like a brick, I'd say we---" Ranma was rudely interrupted by a piece of the furo being thrown at his head. He allowed it to hit because, so he felt, he deserved it. The last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was a very angry Akane stomping out of the bathchamber.  
  
***  
  
'That JERK! That total absolute JERK! I HATE HIM!'  
  
Akane repeated those words to herself like a mantra, until she felt the anger and adrenalin leaving her body. Then a cruel realisation hit her. This shock had been so severe, she should have awakened by now!  
  
'It... it can't be!'  
  
She pinched her arm.  
  
It hurt.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
She fainted.  
  
***  
  
"Yo Akane."  
  
Akane managed to open her eyes to look at the person staring at her. First she felt anger and the need to hit the boy before her. Then shame as she realised what she had been about to do. Her eyes and spirit went blank as she saw the boy before her smile. He had a large bump on his head... how did he..? Oh yes. She looked at him apologetically. He just smiled back warmly. Akane averted her eyes. She felt ashamed, for two reasons. She had been the one responsible for his bump, and two: she still couldn't help but be attracted to him, even after the fiasco in the bathroom.  
  
"Akane, I think we should go. Our parents are waiting." Akane nodded absently as she took his outstretched hand raising her up. Suddenly something got through to her.  
  
"OUR parents?" she asked. The boy looked back at her with a pained expression guiding her with one hand on her shoulder as she wobbled to the main room. He managed a weak smile and said.  
  
"I'm Saotome Ranma, sorry 'bout this."  
  
***  
  
"So cold water changes you into a girl while hot water changes you back, right?" Ranma nodded, absently gazing at Akane, who tried desperately not to return his gaze but failing miserably. Soun laughed heartily.  
  
"Well, son, it seems like your problem isn't that bad after all! At least you don't change into a pig or something [3]! Now, these are my daughters, choose the one you like, this is Kasumi she is..." Soun stopped his ranting as he saw Ranma staring at Akane.  
  
"Not necessary, I see your choice has already been made." Soun smiled and sat back down. Akane cast a baffled look her father's way and both Nabiki and Kasumi were looking like they had just been sold to some unknown boy without anyone choosing. Nabiki was the first to speak.  
  
"What do you mean, dad, 'his choice has already been made'?" Soun smiled.  
  
"Don't tell me you didn't notice Ranma and Akane stare at each other all this time, hm?" Nabiki and Kasumi turned their surprised eyes towards Ranma, who was trying to hide his intense blush and Akane, who looked even sadder and more silent than before.  
  
"You mean... Akane? But she...!" Nabiki was interrupted by Akane standing up. She shot them all a look of pure grief and sadness which made Ranma's heart sink. He hadn't realised he had had THAT effect on the girl he was now engaged to.  
  
"I am going to bed early tonight. I'd appreciate it if you called the school I won't come tomorrow." With that Akane left a baffled Nabiki and Kasumi, a shamed Ranma and two partying fathers.  
  
"Saotome, this means we can plan the wedding for tomorrow! Finally the schools will be joined!"  
  
"Tendo, we must celebrate!"  
  
Noone noticed the young martial artist leave the room to follow Akane upstairs.  
  
***  
  
Akane was sobbing into her pillow. She had considered using her scissors to commit seppuku but decided against it. She liked the bedspread so much, and it would most certainly get dirty.  
  
But she decided life was not worth living for. She had totally ruined her reputation with a fiancee that didn't even think anything positive of her. She hated herself for coming on to him, she hated him for refusing her. She hated the world for bringing her into this mess. She hated...  
  
A window slid open and Akane arose swiftly, looking around her. A pigtail attached to a concerned head came dangling from above her.  
  
"Yo" Akane sighed. The person she least wanted to see.  
  
"Go away Ranma." She snapped and turned around. He just cocked his head onto one side and used one hand to grab her shoulder. Akane froze, remembering earlier that evening, but slumped as she realised it would never work, then berated herself for ever thinking about such perverted stuff again. She then felt another hand grabbing her chin, slowly turning her around. She tried not to melt at the contact, but failed.  
  
"You've been cryin'!" Ranma looked genuinely concerned.  
  
"So?" she snapped back, trying to put up a mask of intense anger.  
  
"What's wrong?" Akane slapped away both his hands and snorted indignantly.  
  
"Why would you want to know, you insensitive jerk?" Ranma seemed to slump as if having taken a hit.  
  
"Yes, I'm terribly sorry 'bout that." He nearly whispered.  
  
"Well, you ought to be you stup... what?"  
  
"I SAID I'M SORRY, 'K?" he yelled, as if having trouble saying it.  
  
"What... what do you mean?"  
  
"I just said those things to stop you, you wouldn't listen to me. You were just... fondling me and I couldn't use a violence to stop you..."  
  
"...Thank you Ranma."  
  
"An' I... huh?"  
  
"Thank you. You saved my honour."  
  
"You're welcome I guess. Though I dun think that was really necessary. I'm even surprised you fell for it, I hadn't expected you to be so gullible and ill tempered. And besides, how can you have much honour when you come on to people like that, y'know? I could swear that-- HEY!" Ranma had barely dodged a small make-up box. He managed to be surprised at the item, Akane seemed something of a tomboy and make-up didn't fit that portrait. But all thought was banished as more items found their way to his head. Akane screamed as she threw the things, ever increasing in size and mass.  
  
"YOU...INSENSITIVE...JERK!"  
  
"WHY THE HELL AM I INSENSITIVE?"  
  
"I AM NOT A PERVERT!"  
  
"THEN WHAT WAS THAT IN THE BATHROOM TODAY?" Akane hesitated both in throwing objects and screaming. She sure was feisty. Ranma thought it only added to her cuteness and he could just...  
  
'bad thoughts Ranma! You need to get to China to cure yourself before you get into this fiancee mess.'  
  
Ranma's train of thought was interrupted by Akane having found a reasonable retort.  
  
"That was different, YOU JERK!"  
  
"How was it different, PERVERT?"  
  
"I thought I was dreaming, JERK!"  
  
"Oh, so you don't hump every guy that walks around the corner, just the good, dreamy-looking ones, PERVERT!"  
  
"Don't be so full of yourself, you're not that pretty!"  
  
"So you DO hump every guy that walks around the corner!"  
  
"He...HEY!! Oh, you... [2]"  
  
"Whacha gonna do about it huh? Distract me by flashing me your tits?"  
  
"YOU PERVERT, YOU WISH! I wish you were GONE!"  
  
"Pervert? ME? Look at yourself, you slut-OW- WELL DON'T EXPECT ME TO STAY!"  
  
"FINE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
  
"SO YOU CAN -ow- FLING YOURSELF -OUCH- AT EVERYONE AND THEIR DOGS, IS THAT IT? -OW-"  
  
"OH, YOU!"  
  
***  
  
"Ah, Tendo, they are just like you and Hikari when you were younger... I remember the long days, the even longer nights, the overly large amounts of handcuffs and other bondage instruments." Genma smacked Soun on the back while laughing heartily, Soun laughed too, until he realised what Genma had just said.  
  
"You... you found those?"  
  
"Of course, good friend! There was just the four of us that trip!"  
  
"I... I see." Soun had paled dramatically, while Genma was still laughing.  
  
"Not to worry Soun, they will be able to do things legally tomorrow. Don't forget all the celebratory sake involved too!"  
  
With that, Soun brightened.  
  
"Oh yes! That's true!"  
  
And they laughed and drank untill long after midnight.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki had been stunned. She knew her family had forbidden cameras near the Furo, but it had been a good thing inspecting Ranma's... assets. And this scene with Akane... it all made sense now. She had to admit Ranma seemed to have an awful lot of restraint, though he had seemed broken at one time. She switched off her tape after rewinding it a third time. She had no worries that things would work out though. Ranma ahd shown on the tape he cared about Akane, and Akane had at least shown as much as physical attraction to Ranma. Things would work out for the two.  
  
The only relevant question remained: How could one make as much money from it as possible?  
  
***************  
  
I'm not sure whether I'll continue this. I might, but in a slow tempo.  
  
First off, I don't think the characters are REALLY OOC. Akane, deep down, I think really IS a pervert, and considering she's thinking she's dreaming, much is possible. Ranma is a prude I think, he never makes any moves on anyone, even though he has plenty of opportunity and freezes up in the vicinity of girls. Ranma is a prude. I think the wettest dreams he has are about him and Akane kissing without her malletting him (or perhaps her malletting him a little bit more than usual, one never knows why he lets himself be hit so often o.O). As for him apologising to Akane which he REALLY can't do in the series (manga AND anime). It's not too odd I think. If you consider that in the beginning he apologised a few times in the series ("sorry about this"), and that his love-hate relationship with Akane only really began when he MEANT what he said about her being uncute (here he uses it as an excuse to get out of something, and feels sorry for using Akane like that). Here no such thing happens, and the only thing that will really happen here are the problems Ranma and Akane develop by Ranma calling her a pervert and illtempered and such. Though it is blatantly obvious that they are both (physically) attracted to eachother, they will still try to fight it. It will be harder due to the nature of their closeness, and therefor there will be a less drawn out series. I do not think this series will span as much as the original Ranma did (I might consider leaving out Ukyo, not too fond of her anyway. Plus, she's not THAT important to the Ranma plot (if there is any ;-)). As you might have foreseen, this will be a R/A  
  
If you want me to continue this, r&r. I update too little as it is.  
  
[1] Yay, alliteration! :-)  
  
[2] Hidden stab at Ryoga (I decided on going for the English spelling (It's actually Ryouga to my knowledge, as it is Kunou etc.). I dislike Ryoga for being a hypocrit and worse. Though he is charmingly naïve at times his naivite manages to irritate me to no ends when he is NOT being charming. Ryoga REALLY is a bad, hypocrit, perverted, violent boy who has no sense of responsibility and those are nearly all the qualities I dislike in people. He works perfectly as a character in the manga, and I will treat him as such, but I will never like his character.  
  
I seem to be pretty alone on my 'Ryoga sucks' quest though, since even Takahashi seems to have been a hidden fan of Ryoga.  
  
[2] The word I'd have liked to use here is 'teme' a wonderful Japanese word fitting exactly such situations as this. But I decided that Japanese should not creep into English stories. Though words like Baka and Hentai are pretty essential to the Ranma-universe since their English counterparts, Jerk and Pervert respectively, miss the nuances involved in those words.  
  
If Japanese still manages to find its way into my stories, please notify me, I'll either explain or take it out. 


	2. Chapter 2: Wedding

CORRECTIONS: The fanfic author I was referring to is Lord Archive. His homepage can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/9061/anime.html  
  
IMPORTANT: If any of the characters seem OOC, tell me why you think that's the case. If there is one thing I hate in a fanfiction, it's out of character-ness, since it defeats the purpose of a FANfiction.  
  
Though I have taken my initial idea from him, after a full read I can say I am going my own direction with this.  
  
**************  
  
Akane was cooking, and Kasumi was there helping her out. Kasumi pointed out how to cut the carrots and make them into a proper dish, and Akane was doing very well indeed. She laughed heartily as she chopped up carrot after carrot into thin slices which all ended in a large black pot. The sun touched her happy face as she suddenly noticed she was out of carrots and was now chopping onions. She smiled at Kasumi who was fondly eating every bit of the food she made. Akane did a little dance through the kitchen, all the while slicing the onions into fractions of themselves. Suddenly a voice caught her ear.  
  
"Yo Akane, that smells good. I hope it tastes as good as your cookies did."  
  
Akane smiled broadly and ran up to the pigtailed boy throwing her arms around him.  
  
"Would you like to try some of it Ranma?" she asked grinning. He smirked back at her.  
  
"I think I'd rather have some of you, sexy lady." Akane laughed more at this and noticed she was naked, as well as he. They fell back together and landed in the furo. Akane looked Ranma in the eye and noticed he had the most loving look in his eyes she had ever seen. They floated and touched, in complete bliss as their featherlight hands caressed every part of each other's body.  
  
"I love you Akane" Ranma said in a low, yet emotional tone. Akane could do nothing but cry silently and embracing him to her. Oh, how they fit perfectly together. The background melted away and they were now floating over a field of roses as Akane could feel him pushing her head up ever so softly with his hand.  
  
"Oh, Ranma!" she said and he kissed her passionately like they had before. They kissed for ages and ages, when Ranma started moaning slightly. Akane moaned back, enjoying every minute of this. The loudness of their moaning started to increase as they breathed the sounds which, unimpeded, would have been their names into each other's mouths.  
  
"Akane"  
  
"Ranma"  
  
"Akane!"  
  
"Ranma!"  
  
"AKANEE!"  
  
"WHAA!?..." the scene faded to her room which fuzzily outlined itself along with an all too familiar face of a certain pigtailed boy. She could not keep a blush from appearing on her face. She hoped that her drowsed head would draw Ranma's attention away from it. When no reply came she inspected the face of the boy from her dreams, literally but nothing else, she tried to convince herself. He had a serious expression, frowning slightly, his mouth curled up into a small round pout, although Akane doubted Ranma would have it described like that. She berated herself for thinking he looked cute, but could not help herself when his face changed into a heartwarming smile.  
  
"So, you're finally up! I was wonderin' if I'd have to use shock therapy on you on you or sumthin'. But if you are as stubborn about this sleepin' business as you are about everythin' else, I s'pose I would be old and worn before I got you awake." He laughed jovially for a moment, and Akane could not help but smile, even though she felt that had she been fully awake she would have felt insulted. Suddenly Ranma's look turned thoughtful.  
  
"Which is really weird you know? With your temper you'd say you'd wake up and beat the hell out of anyone who approaches you... or get them in bed of course. Do you know how hard it is to do that when you just sleep all the time?" Ranma seemed dead serious, angering Akane all the more. It did not take a fully aware Akane to become homicidal at such remarks.  
  
"And how should I know?!" Ranma eyed her oddly, sitting up and jumping to hang off one of the many things attached to her ceiling.  
  
"Are-are you telling me you always do perverted stuff in the furo? And I actually thought about bathing there again? YUCK!" Ranma ducked, or rather upped, a very inaccurate punch to his head.  
  
"YOU JERK!" Ranma laughed as he dodges blows which increased in power, accuracy and speed as Akane found herself awakening more and more. The nice image from the dream was now becoming more and more vague and an image of Ranma with little red horns and fire burning around him became more prevalent in her mind. After a while, Ranma jumped to the floor and skilfully grabbed Akane's hands. She struggled for what she was worth, but in his iron grip it seemed to be very little. She was too caught up in struggling to look at his face, but when she did, she saw it held mirth and not malice. She stared at him for a little while, off balance by the whole situation.  
  
"That's enough hitting for today Akane, I believe you are quite awake now." Ranma released her hands as he said this and turned around, moving towards the door. Akane started fuming again.  
  
"You mean that that was a JOKE?" she asked, angry that he had toyed with her feelings.  
  
'OH! If he only knew how I felt!... Wait a minute, how DO I feel? Why should I be angry with him? It's not like I care...' When images from the dream returned, she forced them away angrily, denying it and blaming her hormones for putting her in that mess. It's not like she would have done it if she knew it was real. Something in the back of her mind kept on nagging at this confidence. She tried to put it away once and for all.  
  
'I am NOT a pervert, it's a healthy thing to do for girls my age. It was just a dream, and it counts as nothing more---'  
  
"Yes, it was a joke, so what? It's not like I'll be around to tease you anymore, and if I can't, I'll hafta make sure you do some rememberin', got it?" Akane's train of thought had been rudely derailed by the boy before her smiling giddily. Akane thought he would soon be dancing. Suddenly, the meaning of his words hit her.  
  
"You-you're leaving?" she asked timidly. He nodded happily and really did start dancing this time. If Akane had not been so sad she would have laughed at the sight of it.  
  
'Pfeh. Stupid mind, why would I be sad? Like I'd care for that insensitive jerk'  
  
"Yes, I'm not ready to deal with this fiancee crap, I'm off to China to cure myself! Better have you rememberin' me when I return. Family honour still needs fulfillin' someday y'know. Besides, you look cute when you're angry"  
  
And with that, he danced away, leaving a stunned Akane behind. She mubled to herself.  
  
"Family honour? He is planning on marrying me? No way that's going to happen! When I'm marrying I want it to be..."  
  
She didn't know what she wanted it to be, but she knew for certain that she would never marry a jerk like Ranma, the hormones in her body were just overreacting. Once again her thoughts wandered back to the dream, and swiftly after that to the encounter in the furo the evening before that... the kiss they shared had been electric.  
  
"Gah! No way I'm interested in that jerk!" Akane finally snapped from her thinking and grabbed some clothes from the closet, deciding she WOULD go to school today, as a quick glance upon the clock told her the jerk had awoken her far before she would have needed to wake up for school, and she didn't feel quite as bad as she did the day before which surprised her somewhat since there was no real difference with yesterday... was there?  
  
Quickly shaking off all thought she got out of her night gown, and noticed something near her nether regions. She blushed as she wiped off her hands.  
  
'must have been more intense than I thought. Better take a bath first.'  
  
***  
  
Akane had soaked in the furo for quite some time and now felt quite refreshed, she had dressed herself and now intended to go downstairs. Finalising her still damo hair by running her hand through it a couple of time and humming a tune softly to herself, she descended the stairs but stopped when she heard three voices, which she figured to be Ranma's, her father and... Ranma's father, she had forgotten his name already. Swallowing the objection of her conscience that it was not right to eavesdrop, she halted at the lowest stair. She couldn't quite catch what the voices were saying though, so she decided to take a little more risk and move closer to the living room, wherefrom the noise of heated argument was coming.  
  
Akane could clearly make out what was being said, and did not like it, not at all.  
  
"...you mean we ain't goin to China?"  
  
"We've got a duty here now son, have you no honour?"  
  
"Honour? Who're YOU to talk about honour pops!"  
  
"/sob/ Oh, my only son, a villain of the worst kind, a rogue who would betray even his own father if--- WAGH!" /splash/  
  
"You talk too much pop!" "Growf!"  
  
"No way, no way I'm marrying that weird Tendou Girl."  
  
"WHAT!?!?"/demon aura flaring/  
  
"Th-that trick a-aint scarin me mister Tendo! I'm not marryin' yur daughter, PERIOD."  
  
"YOU WILL MARRY HER, HONOUR DEMANDS IT!"  
  
"I JUST TOLD HER I WANTED TO MARRY HER, DO YOU REALISE WHAT THAT MEANS?"  
  
"Oh, Ranma my son! You see the light finally! My daughter will be such a good wife! /cries/" /sounds of bear hugs and crushing bones/  
  
"EH? No! That's not what I meant! I don't WANT to marry that perverted tomboy! I need to keep myself free so I can go after a cure!"  
  
"SO YOU DECEIVED MY DAUGHTER?!" /demon aura flaring again/  
  
"YES! I mean, NO! I mean... I did it because of her perverted--- I mean, MY FATHER TAUGHT ME!" /demon aura increasing/  
  
"Is that right Saotome!?"  
  
"GROWF!"  
  
"Oh, now pops, don't lie to kind mr. Tendo here! What about that time you engaged yourself to that Thai prostitute so you could steal all her manga? I bet she's still waiting loyally in the temple you left her to be cleansed of her former evils! Or what about that nice poorsighted old man, whose heritage you stole by marrying him dressing up as a woman?"  
  
"GROWF!"  
  
"AND WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?! Prepare to DIE!" /sounds of beating and of Ranma heaving a sigh of relief/  
  
That was where Akane stopped her listening, she was fuming to the point an innocent bystander might think her head would explode, considering how red it was and how it was producing more steam than an ancient train on a good day.  
  
'THE JERK! He just said that to tease me! I'll KILL HIM!'  
  
And she was going to continue on that promise, as she barged into the living room in which she found a panda being beaten up by her father and his famous 'demon-head' attack. Ranma had retreated to a corner, sweating profusely and packing a small backpack with a 'China' sticker on it. His relieved expression turned into one of fear as Ranma saw her approaching him with what she hoped would be a doom-predicting expression. It seemed to have the desired effect as Ranma's face became as pale as hers was red.  
  
"A-Akane! Ho-how l-l-long have ya been listenin'?" Akane said nothing and just approached him ominously, as he tried to step back. She grabbed him by his red Chinese shirt which he had worn since yesterday, and dragged him towards the door. Ranma struggled surprisingly little.  
  
"Ranma, you know that is not important. We should get to school early so you and I can... 'chat' on the way."  
  
Akane was satisfied by hearing Ranma gulp and could only imagine the terrified expression he would have to wear at that time.  
  
***  
  
Turning her attention away from her father and his freeloading friend, who had reconciled and seemed now to be talking about something -no doubt the grand scheme she had planned for today-, Nabiki saw Akane leaving behind the corner after having beaten Ranma up severely. He still lay there in a crumpled heap of flesh, but seemed to be making moves to stand up. Nabiki sighed as se thought how stupid Ranma had been. She could almost feel sorry for the poor idiot; she knew her sister's temper, back from the days she was not as... subtle in her business methods and when she had less blackmailing material to help her. As a matter of fact, Nabiki was surprised he didn't have some bones sticking out of his body. Akane must really love him to be so mild on him.  
  
Nabiki heaved a sigh of reminiscence... ah yes, the good old days. Akane and Nabiki had reconciled quite a long time ago, but sometimes Nabiki missed the continuing competion of her younger sister. Then again, what she was about to do, or had actually already done, was such a heavy breach upon that reconciliation that it would be possible that they both would be pounding her to near-death, leaving even kinship aside.  
  
Nabiki smirked as she removed the money from her cabinet this little enterprise had gained her. It was really funny how she had managed to fraud everyone out of a large part of their cash, and the fathers out of virtually everything they owned. Not only was Ranma's arrival extremely entertaining, it had made her one of the richest people in Nerima already, if things went according to plan.  
  
Which they always did. She could already see the yen bills float before her eyes as she thought of the prospects of Ranma and Akane together... as long as they were like this, they could be milked for all they were worth...  
  
Even after their marriage  
  
***  
  
"To school? They can't go to school!" Soun looked rather panicky as he wailed his complaints. Genma just slapped him on the back.  
  
"Don't worry Tendo my friend, we can just have Nabiki send the minister to school, no harm done really." Genma laughed as he pulled forth a little piece of paper.  
  
"This contract, graciously provided to us by your second daughter who, I must add, drives a hard bargain, will make all our wishes come true." He was taking a triumphant stance as Soun had now stopped sniffling.  
  
"You're right Saotome, our families shall be united at last!" Soun now also took the triumphant stance and stood beside Genma.  
  
"Then let us be off, Tendo, we shall get the minister and get them wed!"  
  
***  
  
That jerk's nerve! Not only had he insulted her multiple times now, he was now positioning himself above her as he walked on the top of the fence. Akane was fuming, after having calmed down a little initially.  
  
"Yo Akane, what're you so angry 'bout?" Akane had to restrain herself with every available part of her body which could be strained not to clobber Ranma again. Instead, she would try the more subtle approach.  
  
"You were just going to leave me here WAITING FOR YOU? THINKING IT WAS FUN?!" Akane failed to control her anger as the last part was screamed so loud, Ranma had to hop off the fence to prevent falling into the small canal which lay behind the fence. Ranma didn't seem too surprised and even a bit apologetic. What his mouth said was quite different though.  
  
"Yeah well, excuse me for not wantin' to get married to such a pervert as you!" Akane now flung the nearest metallic object at hand towards his head.  
  
"YOU JERK! THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT LIKE THAT?" Akane screamed, making moves to run off. Ranma had dodged the object and was now looking angry as well.  
  
"What? Are you THAT stupid?" Akane ceased her actions and turned around gain.  
  
"What... did... you... call... me?" Akane's eyes were now pupilles as her aura flared red around her, mirroring the intense fury burning inside her. Ranma backed away a little.  
  
"Well, don't you think that if I told them the real reason, they'd have married us on the spot?"  
  
"That doesn't give you the right to!... what? Real reason?" Akane's anger had vanished nearly completely and Ranma moved towards her, looking even more apologetic than before.  
  
"Akane, I did it all for your honour. You can't yet understand the consequences of your actions, but later when you're older, you'll see the faults of your perverted ways. The only reason I said that is because I thought you'd hump around a little less if I'd--- *CLUNK* WAAAAAAAaaaaaH!" Akane had her foot pointing upwards as Ranma's form became ever smaller in the sky.  
  
"INSENSITIVE JERK!" She shouted behind him. Akane though she also heard a voice in answer, but she could only barely make out what it said.  
  
"Perverted tomboy!"  
  
Akane winced and found her anger vanishing like snow fleeing before the dawning sun.  
  
"I'm not a pervert" she muttered under her breath, though the words sounded hollow even to herself. As she ran to school Akane thought about the last two days. She had hated boys, that was what she had shown the outside world, but now a new boy had distorted that image. She had thought all boys were perverts but now this same new boy had proven himself to be more chasticious and honourful than she herself was. Akane would not admit it, but deep down she felt that this new boy was right with his accusations and that was what hurt her most as she felt herself having become something she did not want to be.  
  
Before she knew it, she had arrived at Furinkan High, the high school she and Ranma would be spending most of their time. Sighing again as she thought of him, multiple emotions coming at her troubled mind, hate, fury, jealousy, lust... love, she halted before the gated of the school yard. She hadn't believed in it before, but Akane was quite sure that she had had a classic case of love at first sight. She had tried to deny it, but as she saw the prone form of the martial artist, meteor wannabe, fall down towards the school, she felt something inside her.. churn. Though he had deserved it, Akane felt sorry for doing this to him, something she had not felt before for anyone who deserved her punishment, outside of her family. She didn't know if Tofu fell in this category, since she had never hurt him, but she felt that even now Tofu was less of a burden on her heart and mind in her whole 16 years of life than Ranma had been this past day and night. Though she wasn't quite sure whether the burden was positive or negative; she remembered being giddy that morning when he had talked to her, but now his behaviour had stung deeper than any katana would, though she would never admit that. Akane had vented her grief the only way she had learned up till then: hit the pervert.  
  
But she was the pervert now, wasn't she? The dreams, oh the dreams.  
  
'Is this really love?'  
  
Something in her mind said it was, but it made her all the unhappier.  
  
***  
  
/KABLAM/  
  
"Ouch! Man, that tomboy hits harder than I thought she would!" Ranma said surprisedly, half to himself, half to the non-existent audience around him, while relieving his black pants and red Chinese shirt from the gathered dust and parts of the cement which he had fallen through. He had a thoughtful look upon his face now.  
  
'Geez, what's her problem anyway? I only tell her the truth! She is as perverted as your average nympho! Not to mention she is more promiscuous!'  
  
Thoughts about her naked walking up to him, grinding her flesh to his own and kissing came back to his mind. Shaking them off, trying not to get aroused by them, he focussed on the image of her beating him to a bloody pulp to calm his hormones. He found that it didn't have the desired effect.  
  
'Man, she's even more cute when she's angry like that'  
  
Trying now to entirely draw away all though from the subject of his fiancee, he decided that it was time to figure out where he actually was. He looked around casually.  
  
A standard Japanes school yard. And a standard Japanese school. Putting his hands in his pockets, Ranma strolled towards the entrance of the school he saw was called 'Furinkan High'. He remembered that was the place he should be. He looked around again to see the too-cute for her own good tomboy move up to him. She looked pained and surprised.  
  
'Why the hell would that be?'  
  
"Ranma! Have you seen a great number of boys around here somewhere? Perverted looking, dressed to fight?" Akane asked him as she reached the entrance to her high school also. Ranma smirked.  
  
"What? You going for an early morning shag?" Ranma wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel jealous of the boys that had gotten lucky with her. Though of course he could have gotten lucky just as easily if he had an as perverted mindset as the girl starting to fume befoer him, he reminded himself.  
  
Wait a minute, fume? Oh no! He was meddling in her affairs again! She always got angry when he did that!  
  
"Errr! I mean, not that it's any of my business who you are doing around here, I mean, I'm only your fiancee, if you decide you want to do every man at school a second time then that's none of my--- WAAAGH!" Ranma found his face embedded in the school wall. Once again he wondered about his fiancees temper and how he managed to bear the full brunt of it all the time. What bothered him though, was that he had not yet been able to mend Akane's perverted ways.  
  
'Oh well, enough time before we get married' Ranma thought before mentally slapping himself.  
  
'I'm NOT getting married to that perverted tomboy!'  
  
***  
  
Akane was getting distrustful. Things were quiet... too quiet. No perverted horde, no Kuno, even her friends were painfully quiet and giggling behind her back. What was going on? She had noticed Ranma, oblivious of everything around him, had gotten quite a few appraising looks by the female part of the student body, making her involuntarily twitch in jealousy. But what had surprised her was that shortly after that, their faces would fall in despair and they would mutter something under their breath before glaring hatefully at her.  
  
This had been going on for three hours now, and lunch was approaching. She really wanted to approach Sayuri or Yuka about their behaviour but decided against it and thought that it would be better to try to get along with Ranma, since deep down, she reasoned, he was a nice guy.  
  
The lunchbell rang, sooner than she had anticipated. Oh well. She walked up to Ranma, who was now blissfully snoring, a little bit of drool hanging on the corner of his mouth. She smiled as she woke him. He slapped her hand away and mumbled "Hrrm...pops, I don't need the wok to work properly..." Akane blinked and shook him harder. He awoke fully, hopping up and getting into a combat stance. Akane could not surpress a giggle at his disoriented looking around.  
  
Ranma just looked at her for a while, astonishment in his face. No, he didn't looke, he stared.  
  
If Akane didn't know better she'd have said Ranma liked what he saw.  
  
"Say, Ranma, why don't we eat lunch together?" Akane asked, a beaming smile on her face. It caught Ranma off guard.  
  
"S-sure!"  
  
***  
  
Ranma sat himself down next to Akane, who was virtually radiating happiness, or so it seemed. What was up with her?  
  
"A-akane why are you smiling like that?" he asked hesitantly, finally sitting down. Her face immediately fell into a scowl. Through clenched teeth she said  
  
"I'm trying to improve the atmosphere, you'd better enjoy it." Her smile was put back into place. Ranma dared not say something bad.  
  
"R-right... but why?" Ranma asked, still scared. Akane's face turned serious.  
  
"Ranma, we need to talk."  
  
"A-about what?" Akane slapped his arm.  
  
"The engagement, what else?" Ranma seemed to relax.  
  
"Oh, that. I don't want it Akane." Akane's face fell a bit, though Ranma failed to notice.  
  
"Why? Don't you want it?"  
  
"Of course not! Who would want to---" Akane's evil glare silenced him. He was forced to think his position through at least a little and was silent for a while before he spoke again.  
  
"No Akane, what I mean is, do YOU like bein' pressed into someone's arms, sayin' that you will be married as soon as time and money permit?" Ranma finished it, surprised at himself that he had actually said what he felt. Without realising it, Akane's glare must have had a bigger effect on him than before suspected. The girl herself seemed to be taken aback by this. She was now playing with her socks as she stared thoughtfully at the green of the grass. Smiling, she looked at Ranma. God, he was dazzled by that smile. When did she become so stunningly beautiful? Somewhere in the back of Ranma's stunned brain, a voice was speaking that she had been this beautiful several times in the last few days, and the voice reminded him also that that beauty had stunned him with equal force every time it had revealed itself. That voice however, did not register.  
  
"You're right! But... well, you... err..." Akane's hesitance only increased her cutenessas she moved the playing with her sock to her skirt and started fondling it innocently, her smile turning shy and expectant as she once more looked up at Ranma.  
  
"You... wouldn't mind marrying that way if you... err... liked the one you were forced into, would you?"  
  
Ranma was speechless, still dazzled by Akane, he could only nod dumbly. Now Akane blushed as she slightly turned away from Ranma, innocence and cuteness radiating off of her.  
  
"And do you...errr... like me?" Ranma, unable to think clearly, could do nothing but stare at her with wide eyes, obliviously, but sincerely nodding an affirmative. Akane's facial expression moved from shyness to giddynes, as she let out a squeal before throwing herself into Ranma's arms.  
  
Even though the scene before in the bathroom had more of an erotic tension, Ranma found his brain even farther gone this time and could do nothing at all but suffer the hug. Though if his mind had been half there, he would have graciously returned the hug. Had it been fully there, things would not have moved as well and smoothly as they had up to that point.  
  
"Though I can't say I'm not touched by this open display of queasy affection and squish cuteness, I would advise you to make at least LOOK like you hate eachother wish you evade the coming onslaught by your fathers."  
  
Nabiki's voice and words were like a thunderclap in a clear sky, only infinitely more loud to the hugging pair. They jumped up, blushing profoundly, trying not to look at each other and failing miserably. Ranma was the first to speak.  
  
"I-it's not what it looks like! A-akane t-tr-tried to jump me again!" That sort of snapped Akane out of her stupor as she furiously glared at Ranma. This in turn snapped him out of his, and he was glaring back at her with his full might.  
  
"Did you just call me a pervert again?" Ranma smirked and crossed his arms, turning around and facing away from her.  
  
"Pfeh, you ARE a pervert." He said selfconfidently. Akane was trembling with rage, while Nabiki was laughing her head off.  
  
"RANMA, YOU---!" Akane was cut off in midsentence by a sharp gasp coming from Ranma's mouth which had its lower part dangling just above the floor. Akane faltered for a moment and turned her gaze to where Ranma was watching. She also let her jaw drop to the ground, but could not find the strength of mind to gasp.  
  
Before her stood a full ceremonial wedding band and guests, ornated by the finest of clothes. There was also a small drive-by altar with a telephone number attached, a small English text above it, reading "Bishop Wedwin, for all your aranged weddings" and an old scowling man wearing a white robe with a booklet in his hand. She barely noticed her father and his friend coming at her and her fiancee with wedding gown and a tuxedo.  
  
***  
  
"What're you doin' pops!" Ranma said while trying to struggle as his father wrapped him inside the tuxedo.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you boy, now just follow me." Ranma's father had started dragging him towards the convened group of people and what looked like a fag in a white dress. Oh, he was holding a book too. But something here stank, everything his pops did stank for that matter, but a gut feeling told Ranma that this stank more terribly than any plan his pops had concocted before. Akane seemed to be struggling even harder, but they couldn't prevent either of them to get dragged along towards the odd stand on which the man in the white dress was standing. They were now next to eachother, and Ranma thought about fighting his way out when he noticed 10 gorilla sized guards around him. He smirked and moved to kick one of them, but noticed he had drawn a gun before he could do anything.  
  
Ranma gulped and looked at his pop, to see that he in turn was nodding approvingly at Akane's older sister, was it Nabiki?  
  
'Must have been her that arranged all this, pop isn't usually this tight on security.'  
  
Ranma realised it was useless to struggle physically, at least for the moment, and silenced himself, arms tightly pressed to his sides. Akane beside him however, was struggling for all she was worth.  
  
"---IS KUNO? He would NEVER allow this!" Ranma looked at her. Who was Kuno? Probably her favourite lover. Ranma couldn't stop himself from growling out of jealousy.  
  
Tendo Soun pointed towards a rather odd-dressed gagged and bound young man, who was struggling with all his might against his tight bondages. Ranma saw Akane's resistance beside him collapse into the void and she also now seemed resigned to her fate. Whatever that may be... perhaps Akane knew?  
  
"Yo, Akane, do you know what's goin' on?" Akane gawked at him a little.  
  
"But... I thought, you were staring at..." She tried to say. Ranma snorted indignantly.  
  
"Have you seen that ridiculous tuxedo pop is wearing? Who wouldn't be scared out of his wits by that!" Ranma finished on an assured tone, but one glance at Akane told him that she had not expected this answer. She was trembling in her wedding gown, her eyes wide with surprise. Wait a minute... wedding gown?  
  
"You-you have no idea, do you Ranma?" Though it was beginning to dawn on him, he shook his head in a negative.  
  
"Nope" Akane nearly fell down in surprise.  
  
"That man he is a?" she asked  
  
"Fag in a white dress." Akane shook her head.  
  
"What's on the top of that van?" Ranma squinted but answered  
  
"Dunno, I dun understand nothin' of English." Akane sighed, shaking her head even more fervently.  
  
"Ranma, they are trying to get us married." Ranma's eyes widened for a moment, before he calmed down.  
  
"Well, we can just say 'no', can't we?" Akane seemed to brighten at that, but her face fell as she looked at Nabiki.  
  
"You don't know my sister Ranma, we'll be married even if it kills us if she's involved." Ranma pondered those words. Nabiki had seemed like a nice girl. A little business-like, but not someone that would let her sister marry a boy out of the blue...  
  
Looking at her again, Ranma saw she was opening what looked like betting pools as all the students were gathering around the van and altar to watch the unfolding spectacle. Perhaps Akane was right...  
  
***  
  
Everything had proceeded smoothly up untill now, the entire school had been notified beforehand so that no boys would interrupt and no girls would attempt anything with Ranma before Nabiki could get them married. The betting pools were also a large success. As she had expected, the vast majority had bet on the two kissing, which Nabiki knew would never happen. Knowing her sister and Ranma they would try to stop the marriage and kissing, in front of everyone, would be out of the question.  
  
Nabiki smiled as she noted down another set of bets. The odds on them kissing were terribly low, but still everyone seemed to go for that. Perhaps the student body thought that she had miscalulated? The poor misguided and soon to be flat walleted fools.  
  
Nabiki suppressed a twinge of guilt as she thought of the tapes she had shown her and Ranma's father. On that was visible how much the two DID love each other, even on the first day. Nabiki sighed as she thought about what would happen if she did not get them married... they would keep fighting and arguing for years on end before they would realise the feelings they had for each other.  
  
No, this was the best solution, for everyone. She smirked as she saw the bishop beginning.  
  
But things were working out especially well for her.  
  
***  
  
Akane was drawn out of her glaring at Nabiki by the Christian priest who, she had to agree with Ranma that he looked awfully funny, was clearing his throat, as if demanding attention. With a heavy English accent, he began speaking.  
  
"Dear everyone, we are gathered here today to blablablabla. So, anyone got the rings?"  
  
Half of the student body was still chattering and that priest had virtually married them already? What kind of sham was this! Akane wanted her wedding to be perfect with a romantic-NO! She did not want to become married at all!  
  
As the two fathers ran towards the altar, carrying to plain golden rings, the priest continued.  
  
"Good, now Tendo Akane, do you?" Akane was taken aback by this question. She looked at Ranma with a hopeful glance, but he was just as shocked as she was, if not more so. She was about to answer as the priest continued.  
  
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Now, Saotome Ranma, do you?" Akane was taken aback. He hadn't even listened to her! Ranma however, seemed to be having a lot less problems talking.  
  
"I'm not marrying a per---" Akane was about to pound him into oblivion when the priest interrupted again.  
  
"Good, then I pronounce you man and wife. Rings!" Akane was staring at the priest, barely noticing her father slipping the ring on her finger. This was prepostrous!  
  
"Now, kiss the bride so we can all go home please?" the priest continued with a facial expression that seemed to radiate boredom. Akane and Ranma were just dumbfounded.  
  
"WHAT!?" They simultaneously screamed. The priest sighed and drew forth a piece of paper with some text on it and their autographs signed upon them. Akane was surprised, but figured it would be no big deal for Nabiki to falsify her signature if the price was right.  
  
"On this piece of paper, signed by my client Tendo Nabiki, it says half of the profits of the Tendo Dojo will come to her should you not kiss, as well as earning a large sum of money from your respective parents." Ranma and Akane paled, as did their fathers.  
  
***  
  
"Saotome, how could this happen?" Soun was shaking his friend who had taken forth the contract and had taken a small magnifier. He growled.  
  
"I'll be damned Tendo, your daughter is a genius!" he said hatefully.  
  
"What is it Saotome?" Soun asked anxiously.  
  
"It's all there in small letters! Urg! I forgot the first rule of deception! Oh, I am unworthy!"  
  
Soun just cried in synch with his friend. Before nodding at him. Together, they ran towards the altar again, shouting  
  
"Ranma, Akane, you must kiss!"  
  
***  
  
Nabiki smirked. All that money was as good as hers there was no way they'd...  
  
Wait a minute, why were Ranma and Akane looking at eachother like that? It was as if... as if they were considering the option of... NO!  
  
"RANMA, AKANE! THINK OF YOUR PRIDE!"  
  
***  
  
Ranma gazed into Akane's eyes, seeing the same question in her eyes as he figured was also written in his own. A kiss... something so simple and yet something so terrible. They would not be able to worm their way out of their responsibilities if they did that. But Ranma found himself thinking he would not mind it terribly, but Akane, and his curse... no, he couldn't  
  
But Akane's eyes... oh they were making him WANT to kiss her.  
  
"Akane, Nabiki, she---" Akane's facial expression changed to one of determination as she put a finger to his lips.  
  
"Shut up and do this." Ranma could just widen his eyes as she replaced the finger with her mouth.  
  
***  
  
"YES! We DID it Tendo!" Genma was doing a silly dance just before the altar. Cheers were arising from parts of the student body, malcontented growls from another. One tied up and gagged person was trying to make disapproving sounds but failed miserably.  
  
"Oh, finally our schools are united Saotome!" Soun joined Genma's dance, sobbing as if the world would end.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki's world had collapsed... she had underestimated them. Tendo Nabiki had underestimated them! How was it possible! Never before had she been outsmarted!  
  
Nabiki made quick calculations based on the betting pool and found out that where she would have been rich...  
  
She grabbed her on hand calculator and.  
  
Just 500 yen. All this trouble for just 500 yen. Nabiki slumped to the floor, ready to cry her heart out. She did not see Ranma and Akane getting lost in each other and deepening the kiss. She did not hear the increasing hollers and shouts of approval. She did not hear the priest unveil her final plot which had at least made this day slightly profitable.  
  
***  
  
"Good, that will do you two. You can continue this frivolous nonsense in your bedroom if you don't mind." The priest said as he drew Ranma and Akane apart, tongues half hanging out of their mouth. When the realisation of what they had just done hit both of them, they turned their heads away and blushed furiously. The priest saw that they were done and continued talking, his bored appearance never faltering.  
  
"Good. Now remember, when you need to force someone into marriage, you know who to call: Bishop Wedwin, for all your arranged marriages." He motioned to one of the guards and gave him a few folders which the guard passed on in the crowd.  
  
"Now, may I hear it one last time for Tendo Ranma and Saotome Akane!" the crowd cheered and Ranma and Akane blushed. As the priest was packing up his things, the two fathers had stopped dancing and were glaring at eachother angrily.  
  
"Saotome, I thought we had agreed to leave the names as is, then why is my little girl's surname now yours?" Soun asked Genma angrily. Genma did not flinch.  
  
"I could ask you the same, Tendo." Soun's angry look suddenly turned to one of apprehension.  
  
"Then you also paid Nabiki without telling me---" Genma nodded at Soun's words.  
  
"We've been deceived, Saotome!" Genma just smiled, his glasses twinkling.  
  
"We were not in any way deceived, we both got our way, Tendo. Though I hate to admit it, your daughter is a genius." Genma said, his tone betraying a grudging acknowledgement of defeat.  
  
On the altar, the priests words had also gotten through to the newly wed couple. They looked at each other, puzzlement on their faces, saying their new names aloud to themselves siultaneously.  
  
"Tendo...Ranma?"  
  
"Saotome... Akane?"  
  
Then their auras exploded at the same time.  
  
"WHAT!?" they screamed simultaneously. The two fathers were trying to crawl away from the now wedded demonic pair. They did not get far as Akane and Ranma ran up to and grabbed their respective fathers. Soun started wailing and Genma gulped.  
  
"Akane, Ranma... err... we thought it would be a nice idea if you, well... err..." Genma withered under Ranma's glare of pure evil.  
  
"You better save it pops. YOU are going to Nabiki now and demand her she changes it back!" Ranma screamed the last part, while Akane growled an affirmative, making her father's wailing all the more loud.  
  
"Well... you see... the thing is." Genma tried, withering even further, his usual arrogance when dealing with anyone vanished as he stared into his son's eyes which seemed to predict a painful death.  
  
"WHAT?!" Ranma screamed. Genma flinched.  
  
"We gave all our money to Nabiki." Genma said as swiftly as he could. Ranma dropped him unceremoniously and motioned for Akane to follow him. Genma regained his composure quite quickly and called to his son.  
  
"What son, aren't you happy you have the name of one of the most famed martial arts families---" Ranma turned around angrily.  
  
"SHUT UP POPS! Thanks to you, I've lost my childhood, my mom, my manhood and now my freedom and even my NAME!" Genma was silent and decided now would be the best time to use the Saotome's ultimate technique. He dragged Soun up and ran away.  
  
***  
  
Nabiki saw Ranma coming with a glare that coudl wither the most lively person to a heap of scared flesh. Not Nabiki though, she was about as pissed as Ranma was.  
  
"NABIKI! YOU HAVE---!" he started as he moved up to her, but Nabiki didn't let him finish.  
  
"Shut up Ranma." She said. It only seemed to anger Ranma more.  
  
"Do you know that you have just helped ruin my life?" He shouted. Nabiki had had it.  
  
"Do you think I CARE? I have just been ruined by the two of you! An entire enterprise for NAUGHT! NOTHING! And you can only whine about some silly namechange and marrying the girl you love, well that hardly seems any reason to complain!" She screamed at him. Ranma's anger had vanished as he stared at Nabiki in awe. Akane was blushing beside him. Why was Akane blushing.  
  
"I-I do not l-l-lo... LIKE Akane!" Nabiki calmed herself and narrowed her eyes to slits.  
  
"Go tell that to someone else BROTHER." She seemed to be putting extra emphasis on the last part before she continued.  
  
"You know you wanted this, but you just ruined MY life, so give me ANY reason at all to feel sorry for you." Ranma still seemed to be stuttering.  
  
"I-I d-d-d-did not want this!" He tried. Nabiki rolled her eyes and turned around, anger raging within her.  
  
"Yeah whatever. Just complain to someone else for a few days okay? I'm not in the mood." And she walked away. But deep in her heart was a part of her that was overshouted by the rest of her which was raging at the thought of how the two had ruined her most brilliant plot up till then. As she moved farther away from the ex-wedding scene however, she felt her anger vanishing and her regret increasing. After all, they both hated to be pushed, that much was obvious from what she had seen from the two and she loved her sister more than she let on... and even if her plan had succeeded, would it have been ethically responsible? Nabiki laughed halfheartedly. The great Tendo Nabiki, thinking about ethics. The arriving of Ranma had changed everyone she now realised. Sighing, she said to herself  
  
"Perhaps I HAVE gone too far this time. It would be better if I sleep at that hotel that still owes me. I can face them in the morning."  
  
***  
  
Ranma and Akane were now on their way home. The priest and the students had left without much ado, leaving them alone with their unreleased anger. They knew better than to approach either of them. When they were back in class, they had cooled down, but refused to speak to each other, neither willing to face what they had just done and the subconscious conviction with which they had done it. For they both knew deep down that indeed was what they had wanted and it was the only reason why they hadn't released their anger throughout the school day, since they had too much too think about.  
  
Both of them had waved off questions and congratulations with an angry glare. None of the students had actually acted much after it had been visible they were not willing to speak.  
  
Akane had felt it wise to leave Kuno tied up, though Ranma still wondered why. What could be so bad about him?  
  
That however, was the least important thing on his mind right now. He decided to break the silence as he spoke to Akane from the fence.  
  
"Yo, Akane, you must understand that that k-k-k-kiss was only because of--- "  
  
"I understand" Was Akane's curt response, though her behaviour told him she did not. Ranma let it rest though because he was not so sure whether he understood himself. The kiss was like a gaping hol in his mind, a moment of action where he had acted unlike himself. Or that's what he thought.  
  
'Ugh'  
  
This time it was Akane breaking the silence.  
  
"Ranma... you didn't well... want to be married... did you?" Ranma looked at her strangely. How was he supposed to answer? She sounded so fragile... so... Ranma just opened his mouth hoping the right words would come out.  
  
"No, Akane, not if you---" Ranma had wanted to continue but found he could not as Akane was running away, tears in her wake.  
  
What was her problem? Ranma decided to go after her. Even though she was a perverted tomboy, she was now HIS perverted tomboy. And he was supposed to look after her. If he did not want to, now honour demanded it.  
  
Whether he wanted was something he couldn't quite decide.  
  
******************  
  
Ugh. Terrible. But, it's the reviewers call after all. It is chaotic and prone to rewriting, and I will do that once I find the time. Consider this a draft. It's also my longest chapter ever written and I still feel it is too small.  
  
Anyway, I do not know much about weddings, so I was just guessing a little. If I was wrong, please tell me.  
  
NOTE: Just that I dislike Ryoga will not mean he will not gain a significant part in the story, since he IS an integral part of the Ranmaverse. In fact, I think writing him will be good fun.  
  
Blaze-stryker: Eh? Why'd you do that? I have my own interpretation, and though it is nice of you, an entire other interpretation isn't really necessary. Having read your comments though, I'd like to stick with my original notes.  
  
D-chan: As you see, I did. I had that planned because I have plans for when Shampoo arrives... don't ask :)  
  
A Weller: Lol, was it my despicable arrogance, my disrespect to some of the character or my casually naming my influences as if I don't care? I hope it was either of them because if it wasn't I'd most likely have to add another line to my list of bad sides of me :)  
  
Anyway, it really is a compliment to my writing skills if that is how you feel, meaning I can write at least a little in character.  
  
Neko: my writing style making up for a less lemony scene? *laughs* I haven't had people complimenting my writing stule very often.. oh well, thanks! :)  
  
Ale Map: BONDAGE!?! Ugh, bondage=evil. There might be a lemon somewhere, but like I said, I'm not to keen on them.  
  
Ikillyoupig: I haven't got any spellchecking instruments on my computer, which makes that hard. I also barely reread my stories, which gives silly spelling errors a chance. Pubity however is not a 'silly' one... I honestly thought it was SPELLED pubity. Oh well, English not being my first language showing *sighs* I wish I were born in England...  
  
Anyway, I agree. Though I must admit I am something of an otaku (well, I watch heaps of anime, I do not have their lifestyle...), I dislike putting in those terms. But, sometimes, one needs the nuances of "Hentai" (Akane uses it also to show Ranma's sex-changing problem. It makes it hard to do this when you write pure English. You could have them arguing who was the "hentai" rather hard now.)  
  
As for writing, I know Hiregana and am learning Katakana, with less success. There, Ryouga would be spelled Ri yo u ga. I suppose that is also the source of the most important transcription system. As for not hearing it, that's true. Only in songs and when Japanese are emphasising or spelling things out (during singing, which is one of the reasons I HATE Japanese music), they pronounce those u's, and one may speculate that at one time it WAS pronounced like that. As for 'ei', I feel you are not right there. I think I can here a genuine diphtong when I hear some people pronouncing the 'ei'. As for length, it IS important, both for pronunciation length and for stress purposses. Take, for example, o- neechan, pronounced oh-NAY-chahn. Would that have been written as O-nechan, it would be pronounced OH-nay-chan. Length can often also be distinguished.  
  
One of the things which puzzles me most is that people shorten Akane to 'Kane. I suppose this is the doing of the English dub, where doubtlessly it is stressed Ah-KAH-nay. However, the Japanese Version has AH-kah-nay, which makes it really odd to drop the first syllable.  
  
Anyway, enough rantage.  
  
Taku: lol, usually people should be flaming ME, not their fellow reviewers ^_^, peace man!  
  
Dai: Which is why Isaid it was TEMPTING to use the word hentai, but I decided I shouldn't (see the rant under Ikilyoupig)  
  
Wanted to have this done by christmas, but failed. Oh well, second day of christmas will have to do.  
  
Read and review people! 


	3. Chapter 3: Consummation, or not

OK, this is really more of a plotbuilding thing though there is some funny stuff in there too... I'm sorry about doing so much bad things to Akane, but let's get things straight: 1: Ranma is a jerk 2: Akane is an emotionally challenged violent maniac (obvious from the anime)  
  
On with the show!  
  
Oh, and PLEASE read my EVA fic people! PLEASE!!! I BEG OF YOU! It has no reviews! Why?!?  
  
************  
  
Chapter 3: Consummation...or not  
  
************  
  
Akane ran, ran like her life depended on it. And perhaps it did. For a reason she could not hope to describe, all the misery of the past 2 days reappeared before her as Ranma spoke the words she did not need to hear from him. This marriage was a sham, and he hated it.  
  
And if that was the case, then why couldn't she? What was there for her in this marriage other than duty and sorrow? Akane could think of nothing. Over and over the events of the past days were replayed in her head, and over and over those events caused a single tear to fall down. The meetig in the bathroom, the fight after making up in her room, the morning after where they had another fight, the wedding and Ranma saying he did not want her. Why did it hurt so much?  
  
Akane's eyes were now so hazed by her tears she could not clearly see the ground before, and ran into someone. When her hands and knees connected with the cold stone tiles of the pavement, Akane's mind snapped out of its vicious circle of despair. Her mind replaced the emotion of sorrow into an emotion she had grown familiar with over the years, the one escape from everything that would hurt her. She got murderously angry. The boy she had run into however, seemed totally oblivious of this and started to speak, an angry scowl on his face.  
  
"Sorry about that, lady. But I'm in a hurr ynow, so I don't think I can help you much. Say, can you tell me which way is Nerima? I need to find a certain---"  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" She shouted at the stranger who was absently rubbing his ears, a scared look on his face as Akane felyt her angry aura flaring. The conscious part of her mind would remind her she looked frightening at the moment, a feat inherited from her father, but her anger suppressed these thoughts. The boy, who wore a leopard skin bandana around his head, suddenly started blushing furiously, as he stuttered to find the right words.  
  
"Err... I'm sorry, I never meant to run into you I just..." He dramatatically hid his head in his hands. As he cried.  
  
"Can you ever forgive me? It's not my fault, it's all the fault of Ranma, he just---" Akane was boiling at the moment and the boy did not know that apologising to a steamed Akane was like trying to eat her cooking without gaining at least several holes in your stomach.  
  
"KEEP OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF THIS! NOW GET... OUT... OF... MY... WAY!" Akane screamed as she held the pitiful boy up by his shirt and accentuated the last words with a firm punch. The defenseless boy went flying over a wall into a park. Akane could hear the splash of something heavy colliding with water.  
  
After Akane had heard that satisfying splash, her anger vanished completely. Suddenly, some words the boys had said got through to the now reactivated part of her mind which controlled reason and common sense. The notion that the boy was not actually to blame for this also got through to her, making her feel dreadfully ashamed.  
  
"The boy mentioned Ranma... perhaps he knows him? Oh... I do need to apologise, it was not his fault after all... and I'd very much like to know what he has to do with Ranma..." Akane suppressed once more the feeling of sadness as she thought of Ranma, and trotted around the wall into the park in which she found a rather large fountain. She reasoned the boy should be in there. Akane suddenly felt very angry angry once more at what she saw was left from the boy's fall. She could see his clothes floating atop the water, his bandana and tigerstriped shirt and also saw his backpack laying on the bottom of the clear fountain.  
  
'That pervert! Undressing himself in public! No doubt he ran into me just to feel me up! Keh, I can't believe I thought for a moment he could tell me something about Ranma, he probably has some weird vengeance wish over Ranma saving a girl from his perverted ways! I should have hit that pervert a lot harder.'  
  
Akane turned around, feeling reassured as the earlier shame had now vanished, and even felt good at pounding someone again without feeling bad. She didn't believe she would have missed the perverted horde, but things were just not the same when you didn't have some heads to smash in. Her earlier sorrows forgotten, Akane strode home cheerfully whistling.  
  
***  
  
Ranma was pissed. He sulkingly strode home, his earlier run turned into a slow stroll as he recollected the happenings of the past days and especially his relation to that perverted girl Akane. Or, marriage to that perverted girl Akane, he corrected himself. And now there he was. Settled, chained, cold, wet and female. Life couldn't get any worse than that.  
  
Ranma made a mental note not to think such things again as he was addresssed by a young man he had seen bound and gagged earlier at the wedding. He soon wished he had remained as such. He inspected the young man who bore a bokken and wore traditional kenpo [1] garbs. He had a self- confident scowl plastered upon his face, which soon turned into a lecherous smile as he gazed upon Ranma. Ranma shuddered, he did not like that grin.  
  
"Verily, I had in my blind folly almost mistaken thee, fair maiden, with one of the most loathsome creatures upon this fertile green world! And what a cruel mistake it was! What horrendous slander to thy beauty! What injust insult to thy fair complexion! What, pray tell, fair maiden, is thy name?" the boy had spoken swiftly and in a quasi-dramatic semi-poetic style which made Ranma queasy to no end. He thought it best to just give the idiot his way, as that was usually the best solution to such stupidity.  
  
"I am---" Ranma was rudely interrupted by the youth holding up his bokken, a flash of blue thunder passing breaking the clear skies apart. Ranma absently wondered how he managed that, but was otherwise unimpressed.  
  
"Ah, but is it not customary to give one's own name first? And what glory the name of this person hold, for it is the proud insignia worn by generations of noble warriors who sought to safeguard goodness in this world, who sought to keep beauty, the white unspoiled virgin flower of beauty, fair and strong! For the name of this person and all his forebears is Kuno! Also known as the Blue Thunder, and I---" Ranma rolled his eyes and fought to keep his attention on Kuno, as he had addressed himself, but could not keep himself from interrupting.  
  
"Yeah whatever. My name's Ran..." Ranma made a mental note to keep his two forms separate. He did not want this lunatic to find out his true identity.  
  
"...ko. Tendo Ranko." Kuno barely noticed the interruption, Ranma noted, as he was now weaving the words he had just spoken with his own.  
  
"Oh, fair Tendo, great was the gift that God gave to man as he blessed the Tendo family with a beauty unlike to any save God himself may know! What mother hath begotten such fair children? Whose are the womb and breasts that nurtureth such fairness? Of what divine heritage cometh she? By the grace of the Gods who have blessed thy kin, I would date thee!" Ranma nearly fell asleep as Kuno reached another 'climax' but was shocked awake by the last words. He could feel anger flaring.  
  
"Could you repeat those last words for me please?" Ranma asked, trying to remain calm. Kuno did not hesitate to repeat what he had just said.  
  
"Linger not, my fair Tendo, in this corrupt world where thine eyes shall lose their sheen, thy body its vigour, thy heart its passion! Date me, for together we shall be evergreen! Together we shall shine brighter than---" Ranma was thoroughly pissed now, and interrupted Kuno with a well aimed kick to the chin, sending him flying off to some unknown place.  
  
"Fuck off and don't come back. Asshole." Ranma spewed obscenities as his life had just hit an all time low when he heard a pitiful squeal beneath his feet. Turning his eyes toward the pavement he was now walking on, he saw a small black pig with a bandana around his neck. Loathsomely, Ranma picked it up. He inspected it for a moment then almost absently flung it away. But before he could do so, the pig let out such a heartwrenching squeal, Ranma could not help but be affected. He once again brought the pig closeto his face to inspect it. It was small and furry, warm too. And what was that... was it blushing? Ranma's scowl turned into a smile.  
  
'This pig is... cute.' As soon as Ranma though that, his face darkened again. He was NOT supposed to think that, that was not manly at all. The pig squeaked lightly again, and all Ranma's revolve cracked.  
  
'I can't just leave it here... it might get attacked... killed even.' He thought  
  
'I can't keep it myself, that's not very manly... I know, I'll give it to Akane! Girls like cute stuff! It will be the perfect make up gift!' Happy to have thought of this genius plan, Ranma put the pig on his shoulder and ran.  
  
***  
  
Akane could hear footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Ranma running toward her. Her mood fell once more, but she made a mental note to appear cheerful. After all, they would be together for a long time.  
  
She sighed.  
  
'Perhaps he will even grow to... love me.' Akane's insides turned to jelly just at the thought of that. When Ranma suddenly jumped beside her however, she was slightly surprised. He spoke  
  
"Yo" A female voice said. Akane turned her head to see where it came from and the nsaw a redhead staring at her. Akane mentally berated herself for forgetting Ranma's curse for a second. She plastered a smile on her face, hoping it did not seem fake and saw that Ranma flinched back a little.  
  
'That jerk! It's not like I'm dangerous or something!' Akane had half the heart to pound him. Ranma seemed to recover and cleared his throat. He spoke with his usual arrogant demeanour.  
  
"Geez, Akane, what's the reason you were givin' me the evil eye just now? It's not like I done somethin' wrong or nuthin'." Akane still tried to keep smiling as she answered.  
  
"I'm not giving you the evil eye, I'm smiling." She spoke through clenched teeth which were still artificially curved up in a half-smile. Ranma blinked a few times before breaking into howling laughter. He slapped Akane on the back, which turned her fake smile into a look of surprise and a little later even a look of amusement as she found Ranma's high-pitched laughter was contagious. Ranma suddenly stopped and addressed her, still smiling.  
  
"Geez, I didn't know you were so uncute." He once again broke into fits of laughter as Akane stopped her walking and glared at his back. She did not notice the squeal of approval from a little piece of black fur on Ranma's shoulder. Akane swiftly ran up to Ranma and grabbed him by his collar.  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" She screamed as Ranma flinched. He grabbed the ball of fur from his shoulder and started stuttering as he tried to speak.  
  
"Er... what I mean is, uhm... I didn't think I'd... I'm sorry that... errr... HERE!" With that, Ranma tossed the black pig into Akane's arms. Akane was taken by surprise and dropped Ranma as she examined the black pig now securely nestled on her upper left arm. Akane's face brightened visibly as she held the pig to her face. She giggled girlishly and her eyes sparkled with a newfound joy. She squealed:  
  
"Oh it's so cute! It's so fuzzy! Oh, and so warm too! And it..." Akane paused as her face darkened.  
  
"...bit me." Akane's happy expression had turned into a scowl as she noticed the pig attached to her middle finger. She angrily removed it from her finger and one again made moves to pound Ranma. Ranma on the other hand, was fleeing, trying to do a reverse crawl as he saw an angry Akane nearing.  
  
"What was that, you jerk? Some kind of lame joke? Hmm?" Akane was suppressing her temper to give him the benefit of the doubt. They WERE married after all, and married couples were not supposed to fight, right?  
  
"I... I... err... meant it as an... apology gift! I... you... you seemed rather sad so I thought I could make it up to ya with sumthin'!" He managed to stutter out in response, still flinching frightened. Akane's mood brightened a little. Very little.  
  
"So you gave me a pig which tries to attack me?" Her aura was still flaring, and though Ranma was horribly stupid when human relations were concerned, he was not as stupid to cross a seething tomboy with the strength of an ox.  
  
"I... I..." He stuttered, then managed to regain his normal arrogant, indignant poker face.  
  
"How the hell should I know it doesn't like you?" Akane's anger vanished. He did have a point and he had meant well. Now honestly smiling she moved towards Ranma and helped him to his feet. He looked at her as if she had grown three extra heads. Akane felt a surge of anger rising in her, but suppressed it. They were making progress now.  
  
"Thanks for the gift. I appreciate the gesture." She said, still honestly smiling. Ranma's look turned from one of surprise into one of great fear.  
  
"You... are you bein' kind to me before you pound me into tiny bits?" he asked in a scared voice (or as scared as Ranma can possibly get). Akane really felt her face fall for a moment as she had to keep herself with all her might from doing just that to him.  
  
"No, jerk, I REALLY appreciate it!" she nearly screamed at him. He seemed relieved now and sighed as he started to walk again. Akane followed by his side.  
  
"Oh... well that's sure a relief." He said, smiling at Akane. The smile made Akane feel slightly giddy, and she smiled back. Their faces were horribly close to eachother, she suddenly noticed. She could nearly feel him breathe upon her, as a glimmer appeared in his eyes she had seen only a few times before... she recognised it for what it was and knew that same glimmer was in hers. If only they could just...  
  
Suddenly, a few small teeth around one of her fingers snapped her out of the wonderful moment she was in. She raised her hand, now once more scowling, to reveal a little black pig attached to it once more. She removed it as she addressed a grinning Ranma.  
  
"But YOU keep the pig, Saoto... I mean, Tendo!" Ranma's face fell.  
  
"But I.!" he tried to complain, but Akane interrupted him.  
  
"It's either that or dinner tonight for this pig!" Akane saw she had defeated Ranma as he took the pig from her. He put it inside his chinese shirt, while he soothingly spoke to it. To Akane's amusement the pig had a nosebleed and passed out. She giggled at the sight, while Ranma just glared her.  
  
"Seems you got a little pervert on your hands Ranma!" she quipped. Ranma's glare intensified, he was about to open his mouth, but for the sake of peace, Akane decided she should speak before he could.  
  
"What are you going to call him?" Ranma closed his mouth and he rubbed his chin as if in thought. From the short time knowing him however, Akane realised there could not be happening too much in that red head of his. Hers. Whatever. Akane was snapped out of her reverie as Ranma had a loud 'eureka' moment. Akane smiled at him expectantly.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I'll call it 'pig'!" Ranma shouted triumphantly as he struck a winner pose. Akane just stared at him incredulously. Hoping she would not insult him, she subtly tried to ammend his invention.  
  
"Don't you think that is just a little too cliché?" Ranma stared back at her with empty eyes.  
  
"Cli... what?" Akane made a mental note not to use big words in front of Ranma anymore.  
  
"I mean that it is bit of a standard name." Ranma looked thoughtful for a moment, before having another idea.  
  
"Yeah you're right! I'll call him 'cute pig'." It took all all of Akane's endurance not to burst out laughing. This was definitely amusing. She decided to continue.  
  
"You sure?" she asked sweetly. Once again Ranma looked at her with a blank stare.  
  
"Why not, Akane?" Akane could not keep her self from giggling. Ranma's expression changed to an indignant one as he hmphed.  
  
"Well, I'd like to see you try better, Akane." Akane smiled once more and thought for a moment.  
  
"Why not P-chan?" she said. Ranma once again gave her one of his blank stares and then rashly slapped her on the back.  
  
"Man, Akane, you sure are good at such stuff! That's a brilliant name! Do you like it, huh? Do you, P-chan?"Akane smiled at the cute sight of her husband... wife... whatever, playing with the still unconscious black pig. Or, mistreating rather. He... she, was happily tossing the pig into the air and spread its arms while making martial arts maneuvres with it. Akane wondered how long the pig would last in Ranma's 'caring' hands.  
  
"You surprise me Ranma. I'd think that you were more of the type for food than for pets." Akane said warmly.  
  
"Well how would YOU know? You've only known me for two days." Ranma snapped back irritably. The mood, which had been cheery before, darkened tangibly. The fragility and negligible content of their now marital relationship brought to light. Akane spoke to keep herself from once again falling into a vicious circle of despair.  
  
"You just seem like the manly macho type and I don't think that---" Akane was interrupted by an irritated Ranma.  
  
"It's VERY manly to boss pets around. Besides, even if it weren't, I'm a girl now so who cares?" Akane thought both were weak arguments but dropped it. It was only ruining the atmosphere after all. She decided a change of subject was in order.  
  
"I do wonder why it didn't like me though." She said. Ranma snorted and started a response. He'd wish he hadn't.  
  
"Keh, it probably felt you would try to do perverted stuff to it. Animals feel such things you know. And there's no telling what a perverted girl like you would do to a furry pig like that. Judging from experience though, I can say that you would probably try to have your way with it as soon as you are out of ----*CLUNK*----WAAAAAAHH!!!"  
  
The last thing Ranma saw before being launched into the air was the heel Akane's shoe.  
  
"INSENSITIV JERK!" Now furious, Akane dashed towards home, hoping to find comfort in her house. What a terrible day this had been.  
  
***  
  
*CRASH*  
  
"Ugh where am I?" the bundle in Ranma's arms seemed to squeal an answer, and Ranma smiled at it as he dusted himself and the pig off. It was clear he had landed in the guest room of the Tendo Dojo, a new human sized hole in the roof.  
  
"Seems we're rather dirty huh? Better take a soak in the furo." Ranma said to the pig. As he ran from the room he had crashed into towards the bathroom.  
  
"Can you believe that tomboy? Not only is she a pervert, she just can't stand the truth! Stupid violent..." Ranma saw the pig nodding and squealing. Ranma smiled once again.  
  
"It's almost like you understand me, y'know? Heh, lets get soaking." Ranma said as he flung away his clothes, entering the bathroom. In the mirror he saw he was still a she. Ranma still had trouble seeing himself that way, in more ways than one. It seemed P-chan was also having some problems, a small puddle of blood was forming under his snout. Ranma smiled.  
  
"Never seen a pretty girl naked before, huh? Heh. I hope you can swim perverted pig!" And with that he tossed the pig into one of the tiles of cold water. Ranma then emptied a tile of water above his own head, cleansing himself. He took the pig out of its own tile and held it in his arms. Or, her arms rather, as he noticed the pig had another snout-bleed as he pressed it against his busum. Though the pig could see him as a 'she', Ranma would never admit his female side as a part of him, and inside his mind, he was still a 'he', not caring how much water was flung at him.  
  
Ranma tossed the dazed but not quite unconscious pig into the furo and opened the hot water tap.  
  
"Yo, P-chan, I'll be out for a bit. Gonna make me some hot chocolate. Enjoy the hot bath, I'll be joining you in a minute." With that, Ranma left the furo and P-chan, who for some odd reason seemed to be wanting to flee the bathtub. Ranma shrugged it off and left the bathroom, wrapping himself in a towel.  
  
***  
  
Akane entered the house, slightly panting. She felt dirty, doubtlessly cause by the defilements of her personal liberty on this day. She decided a bath would be in order. Not bothering to announce she was home and ignoring the 'occupied' sign on the bathroom, she entered, undressed and stepped into the furo.  
  
To collide with the same young man she had collided with earlier. There was but one markable difference. He was, as she had reasoned when she had seen his clothes floating, naked. Not only that, he was aroused, for some odd reason, as she could feel...  
  
***  
  
"AAAAAAAH! *CLUNK* PERVERT! *SMASH* YOU WERE FOLLOWING ME WEREN'T YOU? *MAUL* RAPIST! *RIP* GET OUT!!! *KABOOM*"  
  
Ranma dropped his hot chocolate onto himself and turned male.  
  
"YOWCH!" He yelled, dropping the cup and swearing an oath. Grumbling he turned his head to the source of the sound. It was Akane, he concluded, but her yelling didn't make sense. After all, wasn't SHE the pervert? But, wait, P-chan was in there! P-chan could get seriously hurt if Akane got into one of her fits!  
  
'Better rescue him.' Dropping any other thoughts about it not being the manly thing to do, Ranma ran toward the bathroom, in which he found a panting Akane staring at a hole in the wall and a speck of something that seemed to be a man growing tinier in the distance. Akane dropped her fighter stance and turned around.  
  
To give Ranma a full frontal.  
  
Ranma could not control his nose from bleeding profusely this time as sweat glistened on Akane's naked form. He had to keep himself from ogling but managed to turn away from her, hiding a blush. He had seen Akane's surprised look at finding him, then saw her give him a questioning glance as he turned away.  
  
"What is---?" Akane started, and Ranma pointed at her towel which lay neglected on the floor. He could hear her fuming and heard angry footsteps nearing.  
  
"YOU PERVERT!" She shouted. That did it. This slut whom he was forced upon was calling HIM a pervert? Not frightened by the nudity of the girl in front of him, he did what he was best at: gravely insulting people.  
  
"What do you mean pervert? Who is the one that humps around without thinkin'?" Akane flinched but regained her composure swiftly.  
  
"I mean you storm in here half naked hoping to ambush me, well think again!"  
  
"I could if I wanted to! We're married! I could take your beautiful body any way I wanted to and sate your perverted needs, but I---" Ranma stopped in mid-sentence and berated himself for suggesting those things, knowing it would get him another trip into the uncharted realms of the solar system.  
  
'When did I have a death wish? Ugh, stupid mind.' He was standing there raising his arms up in defense for the violence that would ensue after this comment on Akane's perverted ways. But when he saw Akane look at him with glistening eyes, hands folded in front of her smiling her most cute smile. The world seemed to turn pink and fluffy for a moment, and if Ranma had not been mesmerised by the sight before him, he would certainly have vomitted at the queasiness the aura Akane created was invoking.  
  
"Do you think I'm pretty?" She asked, her voice slightly meek and soft. Ranma found himself at a loss for words. Although his mind screamed at him to run away from this and shout some insults on the way out, his body denied it. Instead, his body allowed his mind nothing more than to stutter.  
  
"I--err--that is... I mean, what I---errr..." As a grace of the gods, or curse if one wishes, he needed not answer as the towel around his waste chose that exact moment to drop to the floor. Akane's face turned from blissfully expectant to demonically vengeant.  
  
"You PERVERT!" Swiftly, grabbing his towel and putting it in front of his private parts, Ranma withdrew from the bathroom, an angry, and still naked, Akane in hot pursuit.  
  
"Whaddaya mean pervert? You're the one who's coming onto me! Slut!" Akane threw a small object Ranma could not identiufy as it passed his head to him.  
  
"SLUT!? You came into the bathroom just to have your perverterd way with me!" Akane retorted. Ranma had to prevent himself from snorting. How ridiculous. Did she believe him to buy the 'virgin innocence' approach when she had tried to come on to him for two times now? Pfeh, stupid perverted tomboy.  
  
"Yeah, and you won't get any from me! I wouldn't tuch you with a 6 feet pole if you were restrained! There's no telling just how you would try to abuse me!" Suddenly, the loud baning of Akane's footsteps stopped. Ranma turned around to see her covering herself up with a towel, fuming even more ominously. Ranma smirked in triumph. He had hit home. Time to go in for the kill.  
  
"I would not have touched you even if you payed me! Heck, the only reason I'm still with you is because pops made me! As soon as I get the chance I'll dissolve this phony marriage and be on my way out of your perverted clutches!" Ranma could see the girl before him growing smaller with each word he had spoken. And as he finished, he found himself not feeling as good as he had hoped he would after verbally pummeling. Akane's was now downcast and Ranma thought he could hear a sob. Feeling the strange emotion of pity once more invade his heart, he moved to lay a hand on her shoulder. She tensed.  
  
"Akane, I'm sorry I---*CLUNK*"  
  
"JERK!" And with that, Akane had gone, leaving Ranma to pull the splinters out of his upper lip as he removed his face from the hole in the floor.  
  
"Perverted tomboy" he muttered. Sitting himself down on the ground he started thinking. This girl, she was an enigma. First perverted, than innocently pure, first friendly, then maniacally violent. Ranma decided that---.  
  
"I'm home!"  
  
Ranma's face fell into a dark scowl as he recognised the voice of the person that just entered the Tendo household. She was the one responsible for this hell, she was the mastermind behind it all. Ranma cracked his knuckles. Girl or not, Nabiki was in for a treat.  
  
***  
  
Ryoga found himself once more flying through the skies of Nerima, and once more it was thanks to that banshee sent straight from hell, no doubt family of Ranma. He was the only one who would strike at Ryoga through his one weakness, seemingly cute girls. But Ryoga now knew that this hellish violent tomboy was not cute in the least.  
  
"CURSE YOU RANMA!" He shouted, as he recalled the horrendous events he had been through, the countless humiliations, the calamities that had well nigh killed him. Balling his fist and threateningly raising it in front of him, he swore, once more, to himself that Ranma would pay for the disaster that his life had become.  
  
"Ranma! Watch your back! Because I will be there to destroy---!" Ryoga's solemn promise was cut short as he found himself creating a small crater in the same park he had been earlier.  
  
Cursing the demon-banshees in league with the devil himself, Ryoga found that his clothes and backpack were drifting in the fountain he had first landed into. Smiling, Ryoga decided this had been a good day. After all, he had met that awfully cute girl with red hair. Immediately, he teared up as he thought of her. Pictures of the redheaded girl and himself running over green fields being distorted by Ranma and his banshee companion stealing her from him. Then those pictures were replaced by the redhaired girl refusing his pleas of love.  
  
Ryoga felt his heart of glass shatter as he thought of the ominous outcomes any of his advances undoubtedly would have. Picking up his clothes from the fountain, paying close attention to not getting overly wet, he dressed himself. He then proceeded to draw a small tree out of the ground to fish up his backpack.  
  
Now fully stocked, Ryoga turned to the empty park to make his solemn plea of vengenance to the unyielding (and unauditive) trees before him.  
  
"One day, I shall kill you, Saotome Ranma!"  
  
"It doth seem our plights are the same, thine and mine, for I too tirelessly seek the downfall of the knave Saotome." Ryoga turned to see a boy about his age, perhaps a little older, dressed in very odd garments carrying a bokken.  
  
"Do you know where he is?" With that, the face of the boy darkened.  
  
"Verily, I do! His presence doth defile the sacred compound of the Tendo dojo where the angelic Tendo Akane abodes, whose heart belongs to me!" Ryoga looked at him weirdly.  
  
"Who is Tendo Akane?" Ryoga saw the boy rummaging through his loose fitting garbs to come up with a few photographs.  
  
"This picture is only a shadow of the fiery angel's true beauty, but it conveyeth the sense of utter awe one receives only from glancing at her! And now she is joined by her angelic sister with red hair, Tendo Ranko! Seldom hath such a heavenly pair graced the earth!" The boy now had his fist up in a dramatic gesture. But when Ryoga saw the picture, his face fell. It was THAT girl, who was spawned from hell directly. Obviously she had ensnared this poor soul. And---  
  
'Wait, did he mention redhaired sister? Could he mean her? It's got to be! Akane called her Tendo too!'  
  
Suddenly enthusiastic, Ryoga addressed the bokken wielder.  
  
"Do you know them well?" He asked.  
  
"Verily so, I have wooed them both and they are, as every soul of the fairer sex, enchanted by my way with words. Many times have they answered to my pleas of love! Yet I am undecisive and can not choose! God, in his benevolence, hath put forth all his cruelty in creating these two perfect creatures!" Ryoga smiled and thought this day was getting better and better. This guy was a pro at courting girls! Now he had a chance with Tendo Ranko! Ryoga could not believe his luck. Shyly he spoke again.  
  
"Could you err... give me some tips on how to err... well, you know. I could help you destroy Ranma so you can court the hellish bitch-I mean, Tendo Akane freely." The boy seemed to be considering his offer, then smiled, raising an outstretched hand.  
  
"This handshake will signify the unbreakable alliance that doth from hereby exist between my and thy person. As brothers we shall be!" Ryoga took it happily smirking. Ranma was dead and Tendo Ranko would be his. Together with this boy, he would conquer his problems! He was snapped out of his reverie by the boy talking. As he talked, he walked in the direction of the exit, and Ryoga followed hoping not to get lost.  
  
"Now, our names should be exchanged, brother, for our cooperation to be succesful. My name is Kuno Tatewaki and I first must tell thee that girls are odd species. They show their appreciation in often seemingly odd ways, but thou mustest not despair if they physically abuse thee, for their spirit then dwells with thine own. The fairer sex hath problems showing their appreciation to the initiative our strong masculinity embodies!"  
  
And so they moved on, exchanging ideas and thoughts.  
  
***  
  
"Yo Nabiki!" Nabiki jumped as she recognised the voice to be that of her brother in law. Quickly regaining her calm, she realised he would be angry. Nabiki hastily came up with a mental battle plan. Putting a face as emotional as she could up. She didn't know Ranma too well but had assumed he would be as gullible as every member of the male sex.  
  
"Yes Ranma, what is it?" She said, her eyes slightly glistening, her face a tad sad. Nabiki could see his angry expression falter for quite a bit before it reinstated itself. He was even more gullible than assumed! Akane could control him like putty if she had just inherited some of the same genes that had passed along to her! The fool responded to only the simplest of stimuli... this could be fun yet.  
  
"I--err... the wedding. Yes, the wedding! You think you can---" Nabiki willed a tear to go down, and hid her face in her hands.  
  
"Oh Ranma, did you not know?" She said, passionately sobbing. She could hear Ranma stutter once more. Nabiki smirked into her hands while continuing sobbing.  
  
'Now for the coup de grace.'  
  
"Did you not realise the sacrifice that I made?" She showed Ranma her face, teared up and with the saddest expression plastered upon it she could muster. Ranma had now gone from confusion to wide-eyed shock.  
  
'Oscar voters, it's spelled NA-BI-KI.' She thought to herself.  
  
"Sa--sacrifice?" Ranma managed to splutter.  
  
"Ranma, I had hoped I could have hidden it from you, but now I must let you know!" She said, her voice gaining a more dramatic edge. Nabiki made a mental note to tape this next time the opportunity arose.  
  
"Know... know what?" he asked, seemingly dreading the sight before him. He really was too easy. Time to destroy what is left of his intentions.  
  
"Ranma... I... I am in love with you! I have been ever since we met!" he nearly fainted. The fool.  
  
"I...I ... then why?" Nabiki turned herself away to increase the dramatic value of the moment. In a weak voice she answered.  
  
"I, I could see the way you and Akane looked at eachother, and I knew that you would not be happy with me. But I want nothing more than for you to be happy! So I thought to put up a wedding for you two, since I love you and my sister too much to see you unhappy! But inside, my hearty was breaking!" It had had the desired effect.  
  
"You... I'm sorry, I... I didn't know." The idiot. She turned herself back to him to see him looking at her with pity. Oh, this was more fun than extorting Kuno.  
  
"What can I do for you to make it up Nabiki?" Nabiki once again turned her back, though this time it was to prevent him to see she was laughing her head off. He was just too easy. Once a girl went all cute on him, he was nowhere.  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"Come on Nabiki, just name it!"  
  
"I... you..."  
  
"What would make you happy?"  
  
"I'd be happy... if... if..."  
  
"What Nabiki?"  
  
"If you'd give me 10000 yen!"  
  
***  
  
As Ranma went back to his room, he couldn't help but feel deceived. He quickly rejected the feeling as Nabiki had opened herself to him like no girl had ever done before. She had to be sincere, hadn't she? Judging from his experiences with Akane, the family was weird and twisted, so perhaps a little investigation would be in order.  
  
And Nabiki's happiness was expensive too.  
  
As he walked into the guest room, he found his stuff gone and his father rolling up the futon he had slept on the previous night. Time to get rid of all the pent up agression.  
  
"Hey pops!" his father yelped in answer and tried to inch away from him as he stammered something unintelligible. Ranma smirked.  
  
"Say pops, dun' ya think the wedding was a bit of a disaster?" Ranma was satisfied to se his father tremble in fear. Ranma cracked his knuckles to emphasise his point.  
  
"Why... would I think that, boy?"  
  
"I didn't get to kick your butt yet today!"  
  
"EEP!"  
  
And with that, Ranma kicked him out of the window, jumping to follow him as Genma made his way through several walls of local Nerima buildings.  
  
***  
  
A knock on the door. Akane quit her selfpitying and hopeless sobbing and waited for the person behind the door to speak up.  
  
"Akane, I need you to help Kasumi with shopping!" Akne smiled. Her father. Just her fathr, not that jerk of a husband of hers.  
  
But shopping? Would it be okay to get out of the house when feeling like this?  
  
'Perhaps it will cheer me up' Akane reasoned.  
  
"I'll be going in a minute dad!" Akane shouted at the closed door. She could hear her father grunt in response. She dried her tears with a handkerchief and picked some casual clothes to wear to the mall. Couldn't go there dressed in a bathrobe after all. Looking at herself in the mirror, Akane decided there were no traces of the tears she had shed. She sped out of her room, barely catching a glimpse of the seemingly new sign on the front of her door. Where there before had been a duck, she now thought to see a bright red horse inscribed with the words 'Ranma and Akane's love suite' hanging there. Berating herself for imagining such horribly lovesick and perverted thoughts about her jerk husband, she sped out of the house along with Kasumi.  
  
***  
  
"Let's see. I barge in to the house with an arrogant smirk on my face, destroying all competition. I say 'I would date thee'. She'll squeal happily and then I'll beat her up so that I can date her. Then we'll live happily ever after." Ryoga nervously repeated at an approvingly nodding Kuno. He smiled and put a hand on Ryoga's shoulder.  
  
"Thy mind soaketh these matters of grave importance like a sponge doth water." He said. Rummaging through his robes, he pulled out a small booklet.  
  
"Here thou shalt find the great opus of the well-famed Shakespeare whose mind perhaps is up to par with mine. Shouldst thou reecite his work, thou shalt undoubtedly experience the sweet taste of victory. Good luck, my friend, nay mine own brother! Then tomorrow we shall get rid of the Pig- tailed knave that doth pollute the Tendo manour!" Shoving Ryoga off out of trhe palace like house, Ryoga moved through the street, seemingly unaware that he was heading straight for the Osaka Highway.  
  
***  
  
"...and then he we all went!" Akane laughed as Kasumi smiled along with her. The shopping had definitely done her some good. Already she could engage in small talk again and doubtlessly if she just ignored the whole wedding business and kissed up to Nabiki a little, Ranma and consorts could be out of her life as well. Shoving away some unexplainable bad feelings that rose up in her chest at that last thought, she entered the Tendo house, dropping the bags unceremoniously on the floor mat as she saw two burly men carry a bed into her room.  
  
'Wait a second... that is no ordinary bed, it is a bed for...'  
  
"Daaaad!" As Akane screamed, Kasumi walked in behind her.  
  
"Oh my! I thought they'd be finished by -EEP-" Kasumi absently mumbled before clapping her own hands over mouth. At least Akane thought that was what she said... but she couldn't right?  
  
'After all, this is Kasumi we are talking about. She would never join my father and sister to try to shack me and Ranma, right?' Nevertheless, Akane did not feel reassured. And for that reason she barrelled straight through the pair of men which were attempting to shove the oversized bed into her room to go find her father. She found him playing Shogi with mr. Saotome. Before she could explode in anger however, her father raised his attention from his Shougi game to her.  
  
"Ah Akane! So good to see you! Have you seen the new bed we bought for you?" He asked jovially. Akane felt a surge of anger rising within her, but managed to suppress it to a minor twitch. Or perhaps not.  
  
"YES I NOTICED IT! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO! ME AND RANMA ----" Her screaming was interrupted by her father howling in fits of crying and mr. Saotome holding up a hand to interrupt her.  
  
"My daughter! She hates me! She hates the gift I bought for her!" he bawled. Akane looked on angrily.  
  
"Gift? I don't see how..."once again Akane was interrupted, this time by her father's friend..  
  
"Tendo told me you wished for a larger bed, so we decided to give it to you as a wedding gift." Mr. Saotome stated matter of factly.  
  
"Then it isn't a plan to get me and Ranma...?" At that, both fathers started laughing and if she didn't trust her father so, she'd say they were laughing nervously.  
  
"Haha! Tendo, what silly ideas your daughter has!" mr. Saotome laughed while slapping his friend on the back.  
  
"Ha! She sure does Saotome, but that is what makes her cute! Right bunny?" Akane's father laughed. Akane was now growing suspicious, especially at her father's use of her petname. She was about to open her mouth when she heard a distinctly younger voice speak up from behind her.  
  
"Heh, that IS cute, Akane-bunny!" Akane blushed furiously at hearing that voice utter those words.  
  
'Ohhh... HE heard me!'  
  
"D-Daaaad! You embarass me!" She stuttered, while running off trying franticly to hide her blush from Ranma and escape the laughter of the two older man.  
  
She noticed Ranma wasn't laughing, and reflexively pounded him into the ground.  
  
Akane tried to deny the smile and look that could only have been described as lovestruck on Ranma's face just before she pounded him into the ground.  
  
***  
  
"Dammit Ranma! This all your fault! You keep me away from my Ranko!" an angry Ryoga shouted to a wall. He started running, all the while mumbling to himself.  
  
"When I get my hands on you I'll---" his ramblings were interrupted by a run-in with a sign. Absently rubbing his nose, though the sign was in worse condition than he was, he got up cursing.  
  
"Ranma, why must you hinder me so I--- wait a minute... Ten-do-do-jo... YES! I found it! Now we shall be together Ranko after I get rid of Ranma for you! Now what did Tatewaki say about courting? Ummm... the moon doth wane with thine abonimable shine? No... that's not it... err... The being that brought forth such as thee can be no other than diabolical! No... still not it... Ah I've got i---" Ryoga's Kunoesque (but not quite) ramblings were interrupted by a splash of water from an unknown source as he reverted to his pig form.  
  
***  
  
"Akane, I know we are a little late, but dinner is ready, would you get Ranma for me please?" Kasumi inquired. Akane looked up from her homework and turned to the kitchen out of which Kasumi's smiling head was sticking.  
  
"Sure sis. Where is he?" Akane asked while standing up. Kasumi looked thoughtful for a moment.  
  
"I believe he's training in the dojo" she said.  
  
"OK, be back in a flash!" Kasumi only smiled in response as she withdrew into the kitchen. Akane walked off casually, reaching the sliding door to the dojo before long. Opening it she got ready to yell a 'dinner's ready' at Ranma when she saw he was running through a kata. Deciding she wanted to see how good he really was since she had not gotten a clear impression after that horribly short sparring session the day before, she sat herself down in the doorway, staring at a focussed Ranma.  
  
And she was greatly impressed. The way his moves flowed from one motion to the other, how one perfectly guided stretching of an arm was exquisitely supplemented by a slow kicking movement and then with a slow mesmerising turn to the right, all performed with haunting precision, had Akane hooked. Somewhere in the back of her mind she made a mental note to ask Ranma for some kata-training. Her attention was wholly snapped back to Ranma as he bowed to an invisible person, finishing off his kata. Akane thought he had finished altogether and made moves to stand up, but once again stopped when she saw Ranma disappearing into the air with a mighty 'HYA' and saw him jumping around kicking and fighting an invisible enemy.  
  
Not long after, Akane's admiring stare turned into a full ogle. The way he moved had her entranced beyond words, each of his movements accentuated with a mighty yell as he hopped up and down, back and forth, showcasing his extreme agility and speed as well his brute strength. Sweat was starting to show on his brow as he dilligently placed several punches on a training dummy, still wholly focussed. Akane was reminded of the day before in the bathroom, and imagined him now in that same state of undress as he jumped around. She imagined the sweat dripping from his naked sculpted form... then she imagined him accidentally landing on her, taking her down with her and how he would place his---  
  
To say Akane's brain was fried would be an understatement  
  
***  
  
Ranma broke another training dummy when he saw Akane sitting behind it with the most far-away look in her eyes he could have imagined. He was still a bit pissed she had pounded him to the ground for no reason after he called her bunny. With a slight snort he approached her and was about to call out to her when he noticed something in the corner of her mouth... It couldn't be... it was.  
  
Akane was drooling. Trying not to snicker, Ranma repressed his own feelings of how cute she looked all dreamy like that and put on his stern serious face and walked up to her. He noticed she was not snapping out of it. Ranma waved an arm in front of her... still nothing.  
  
'This is priceless.' Clearing his throat he positioned himself in front of Akane's right ear.  
  
"YO AKANE!" Ranma yelled. Akane jumped in response. She spotted him and blushed the deepest red he had ever seen she started fidgetting with her skirt.  
  
"Ra-Ranma, I err..." she stammered while keeping her eyes away from Ranma's. Ranma just smirked. Time to tease her. With a smirk on his face Ranma continued.  
  
"Stop having perverted dreams about me. It aint gonna happen." Akane raised her eyes which had widened to the size of saucers to Ranma's eyes, and Ranma (though not being the brightest boy in the field where social matters were concerned) immediately saw she had been caught redhanded. Not knowing what to think after quickly having repressed the oddest feeling of flattery and longing, he did the next best thing. He flushed a bright red himself and went on the insulting tour.  
  
"You really WERE thinking perverted dreams of me? Filthy nympho!" He yelled angrily though his flush remained. Akane too retained her flushed colour as shouted in answer, Ranma noted. What could it meam?  
  
"Who are YOU to talk insensitive JERK!"  
  
***  
  
Akane tried to hide the feelings and images she had only just been playing before her mind's eye in the deepest vaults of her memory, hoping to hide them forever. The way Ranma was towering over now didn't help the situation any.  
  
"Why are you tryin' to blame me violent tomboy!"  
  
The way he said it, angry yet flustered at the same time, as he moved in closer to show his authority over her made him ever so much more sexy.  
  
'NO NO NO! Got to get those thoughts out!'  
  
***  
  
Ranma noticed Akane's heart was not in the argument, and his mind floated back to the situation in the bathroom the day before, when she came onto him and kissed him with fiery passion. She had had a same aggressive, yet shy sparkle in her eyes then as she had now. As she moved closer to shout in his face at even closer range, as angry people tend to do, he noticed it all the stronger as his eyes darted down for only a second, noticing her puffy lips, the bit of drool still not wiped from the corner of her mouth. She looked so cute, so adorable so...  
  
... utterly kissable. Ranma tried to throw away the feelings he had, but his mind kept reeling back to the memories of the kiss the day before and every time he thought of it, it increased in imaginary vehemence and pleasure. It was a vicious circle and Ranma knew it. He was temporarily snapped out of his circle, to his great fortune, by a shouting Akane.  
  
"BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FAULT YOU STUPID MACHO!"  
  
Only a few inches. So tantalisingly close... he could smell her breath. Even the saliva she seemed to be spraying him with as she yelled seemed to be highly erotic now.  
  
***  
  
Once again he had moved closer. Images of Akane's daydream were mixing with images of the day before when they had so passionately kissed, at least as she remembered it now, and the boy before her was exciting her to no end. She was beyond trying to hide it now, the hormonal fires inside her mixed with memories and imagination having grown too hot and was only trying to hang on to the argument in an attempt to hold on to the argument. As she waited for Ranma to say something she suddenly remembered that it was her turn. Confused and excited she looked deeply into his eyes and thought she saw some sparkle mirrored there. Losing the last of her resolve, she saw Ranma do the same as she put her hands on both sides of his head as she felt him put his hands to her hips.  
  
"To hell with it" she huskily whispered, and thought she heard Ranma do the same. It mattered not as she closed the gap between her mouth and his. The world exploded in an all consuming fire.  
  
***  
  
Ranma instinctively raised Akane with his hands as she suckled his tongue. Getting lost in the sensation, he toppled and fell flat on his back, the soft form of Akane grinding herself up to him as close as she could as he wrapped his arms around her buttocks, trying to help her get as close to him as he could while all the times their lips remained locked. After a time which to Ranma could have been of any length, his sense returned and in the periphery of his consciousness he heard the sliding door opening. His eyes widening as he snapped back to the world of the living, he released Akane and unceremoniously dropped her to the wooden Dojo floor, lips first.  
  
She moaned, Ranma hoped it was in pain, as the sliding door opened fully to show a smiling Kasumi. There was one thing Ranma had learned in his two days stay. Kasumi, was kind caring and clueless. He sighed in relief as he tried to get control over his raging hormones while he saw Akane stand up and whilst fidgeting tried to straighten her crumpled clothes.  
  
'What have I just done? God, I'm not ready for this yet. I hope Kasumi didn't notice us.'  
  
"Ranma, Akane, time for dinner." Ranma sighed again at Kasumi's words.  
  
'Thank God it was only this.' Akane had straightened herself and answered calmer than Ranma thought she could after that... that...  
  
"Yes, sis, we'll be out in a minute."  
  
"Don't be too long. You don't want the fathers to see you two making out like that!" Ranma's jaw was on the floor, while Akane's eyes were bulged to the far end of the dojo. Seeming not to notice this, Kasumi left. Ranma mentally corrected himself on his opinion of Kasumi. That woman was evil.  
  
Ranma saw Akane turn to him, the most forlorn expression on her face. Once again, what they had done twice now was flung back in his face at him full force. Growing irritated, he scowled down at her. He couldn't, no WOULDN'T allow this girl to bind him. He was a free man. Ranma saw she made moves to speak.  
  
"Ranma I---" she started wistfully. Ranma interrupted her, trying to come up with the harshest words he could.  
  
"Akane, let me make this clear to you. If you do that to me one more time, I will dismember you, girl or not, and feed your remains to the dogs. Got that?" Ranma felt sorry for his words as he saw one of the most sorrowful and depressed expressions on her face he had ever seen anywhere. His resolve almost as he saw her run away, once again, crying. But Ranma knew deep down inside that if he were any more lenient. This would happen again, and he could NOT let that happen. He was his own man and would not let this girl rule his life.  
  
But why did he feel so empty because of what he just did?  
  
Sighing, shoving all problems aside, he too left the dojo to take supper to him.  
  
*********************  
  
I really was planning to make this a lot longer, but it got too long without it so I decided to stop here. 'Tis a nice place to end.  
  
Now, as for answers to reviewers, I will be mailing most of them but I will handle the ones here who don't give an e-mail address.  
  
Urazz: 'True love' as illusive as it may seem is a thing that can hit you on the spot (especially if you are sixteen) and parents and people around may recognise this as being beneficial to them. It was supposed to be beneficial for Nabiki (who justified her action by saying it was beneficial to Akane too, which may or may not be the case in the end MUHAHAHAHA), but turned out not to be.  
  
Kathy: Ukyou won't be making an appearance probably since there is simply no room for her. Shampoo will though *cackles evilly in anticipation of that event*  
  
Final-Fan: I will try. I have no pre-readers (hint, hint) but I will try.  
  
Ikillyoupig: Actually your vast powers of deduction are wholly wrong. My first language is Dutch, my second Servo-Croatian (though I am told the dialect I speak is called Bosnian nowadays). The latin languages only come at place 5 or something. I speak a little French yes, but the reasons I use many latin words in my English might be because I have Latin in my school :) Anywho, the conflict will probably shift all the time. Honestly, I used to read a lot of WAFFy one-shots in the past until I woke up in the morning and said: "No, that is just friggin impossible" One of the charms of the Ranma-Akane coupling is that Akane is oversensitive and Ranma over- insensitive :) Add to that that they are both horribly dense when social matters are concerned (and I have a feeling Akane is rather dense as a whole. If you are well educated and still manage to do stupid things you ARE stupid. If Ranma had had a different education things woulda been different.)  
  
That's all for this time, Read and Review!  
  
********  
  
Teaser for next time:  
  
"A date? But won't Akane be angry?" Ranma asked curiously. Sayuri sweated profusely at that.  
  
"Err... no of course not! It is tradition for the groom to have many mistresses and courtisans! Once you are married, you don't date your wife and start dating other people!" Sayuri had thought this up rather quickly, but realised it was even half-true. Thank God Ranma was so dense... and sooooo cute!  
  
"You sure about that?" Ranma asked suspiciously. Sayuri just nodded her assent. Ranma smiled enthusiastically at that as he stood up.  
  
"Okay! This afternoon sound fine?"  
  
******  
  
As you can see, I think the concept of romantic marriage is rather ridiculous :) 


End file.
